"They’d provide food and 'walking around money' to get voters to polls, purposely bring them to precincts where long lines form so they can get a judge to order polls to stay open longer, and leverage provisional ballots for people with no identification whatsoever."
As an election judge, this would piss me off to no end. First of all, there's a lot that you need to get done after the voting is finished, so getting that last voter through the process just kicks off another bunch of stressful work to be done, and the sooner it's done, the happier everyone is. And issuing provisional ballots is a major PITA. In my precinct, our provisional ballots are now done on the single touch-screen machine we have, so clogging up the lines with purposefully-provisional voters whose votes are meant to be thrown out is stupid and wastes everyone's time. To the extent this activity can be detected and the perpetrators be put in legal hot water, the better, as far as I'm concerned.
"Yes, yes, yes. But even worse than that is when the official organ of the state, the CDC, goes back to recommending masks for vaccinated people indoors. Are they daft? Are they mad?"
I live in Blue Chicago, and in the last week, it's become clear that lots of folks here are DONE with masks. The only place where I run into masking requirements these days is public transit and about half the riders are flouting the CTA mask mandate both outside (which doesn't bother me) and on the trains and buses themselves (which does). The CTA isn't enforcing their mandate, so it's entirely honor-system at this point, and based on the number of riders who couldn't give two sh!ts about their fellow riders, trying to re-establish mask mandates beyond the places where they're already being ignored is dead on arrival.
"The vaccination scolds are more concerned with being right than being compassionate, or empathetic to people who’ve been kicked around over their politics and their skepticism for four years. Clearly, the scold approach isn’t working and won’t work. Sympathy should be the response but we get blame instead."
The problem with this is that it's unclear how society can be more sympathetic and expect folks to do the right thing. We've extended the carrots for months now, and we are where we are now with a significant number of resisters who won't do the right thing - no matter how nice you are or how much you try to make them feel good about the shot. The only thing that will convince enough people to get the shot at this point will be the pain and suffering inflicted on their families and local communities, by which time, it'll be too late. Apparently modern germ science is too theoretical for a significant number of Americans to understand.
I've got to admit Steve, this one threw me. I won't comment on Fulton County, you know Georgia better than I. I have no idea if what you are claiming is true or not, but the goal should be a system that works well...for both parties. Making voting as simple and as efficient is an outcome most states have managed to solve. Stupid "fixes" from either party are well, stupid.
I am more perplexed by this paragraph you wrote: "I understand that masks are the next best thing to vaccination in stopping the spread when herd immunity can’t be achieved. I understand that unvaccinated people will get very sick from the Delta variant, and that Delta seems to spread more easily than the original virus. All true. But we’re talking messaging and politics here, not right and wrong."
Sorry brother, but political messaging is well down my list of what this past year has been all about. In the case of diseases that killed over 600,000 American's my one concern is outcomes. And to be clear, that comes from "right and wrong."
Haranguing about messaging is just more fodder for the foolish. Nope, not calling anyone foolish, simply talking about nonsensical arguments that keep people from doing the right thing. Our only way out of this is herd immunity. We either get there with vaccinations or doubling or tripling the numbers already dead. What is the right choice?
And so we are clear, i did a search to see where masks have been mandated; not much there. I know, you couched this in "recommending masks for vaccinated people indoors"and provided the link. so let's be clear, it is a recommendation and in fact for counties that are facing % increases exceeding certain thresholds. Let me cap it; RECOMMENDATIONS.
You don't want to put one on don't. People refuse to get vaccinated, they won't. It's their choice, but if this once again runs rampant, then what? Are we still going to whine about "political messaging" or are we going to focus on "doing the right thing?"
Hopefully the experts are wrong, the increases they are seeing won't spike. Hopefully it will all "magically go away," (how's that for a political message BTW?). What we do know is we are in the "good times" of summer where folks are outside. When they bring it indoors, what do you expect"
I ask that in all seriousness. I read you in spite of what you write because most often; while i disagree, you are logical and consistent (fairly) in your comments and your positions. This is one of those times where your logic, given what is happening with the Delta variant, just plain misses the mark.
I'm so sick of having the right tell me that I should be respectful for the idiots who are risking my life because of their stupidity. Or how we are the ones keeping them from taking the vaccine. It's such bull. You can not fix stupid. And there is a lot of stupid in this country.
My doctors told me not to even be near unvaccinated people. They told me to mask everywhere and to avoid large gatherings if I couldn't ensure everyone is vaccinated. So don't bring medical professionals into your stupid tirades about masks. Or complain when the CDC sees the new troubling data about Delta and reacts accordingly.
You wanna get people vaccinated then your going to have to make it hurt for them not too. Ban them from flights, stores, anywhere that isn't their houses. Force insurance companies to jack up their rates.
We are in this mess because of these idiots. It will get worse unless we actually make efforts that will work and "being nice" to them won't.
This entire piece is itself stupid in the morning, stupid in the evening, and at dawn, dusk, midnight and noon. Additionally, exactly how long are we supposed to emotionally coddle the "facts over feelings" crowd?? Another 85k to 100k deaths later? Will it be ok then to do some Real Talk with them? Vaccinated America is getting pissed with emotionally wounded toddlers' temper tantrums because they were called names for awhile. Grow up and do the right thing! It it abhorrent that we actually need masks in some areas because people are "sensitive".
Also isn't it about time you start blaming the politicians on the right like Trump and Cruz and DeSantos who chose politics and personal ambition over doing what's right? I mean they are the ones who convinced a bunch of moronic right wingers that the CDC and masks and COVID is all political.
"They’d provide food and 'walking around money' to get voters to polls, purposely bring them to precincts where long lines form so they can get a judge to order polls to stay open longer, and leverage provisional ballots for people with no identification whatsoever."
As an election judge, this would piss me off to no end. First of all, there's a lot that you need to get done after the voting is finished, so getting that last voter through the process just kicks off another bunch of stressful work to be done, and the sooner it's done, the happier everyone is. And issuing provisional ballots is a major PITA. In my precinct, our provisional ballots are now done on the single touch-screen machine we have, so clogging up the lines with purposefully-provisional voters whose votes are meant to be thrown out is stupid and wastes everyone's time. To the extent this activity can be detected and the perpetrators be put in legal hot water, the better, as far as I'm concerned.
"Yes, yes, yes. But even worse than that is when the official organ of the state, the CDC, goes back to recommending masks for vaccinated people indoors. Are they daft? Are they mad?"
I live in Blue Chicago, and in the last week, it's become clear that lots of folks here are DONE with masks. The only place where I run into masking requirements these days is public transit and about half the riders are flouting the CTA mask mandate both outside (which doesn't bother me) and on the trains and buses themselves (which does). The CTA isn't enforcing their mandate, so it's entirely honor-system at this point, and based on the number of riders who couldn't give two sh!ts about their fellow riders, trying to re-establish mask mandates beyond the places where they're already being ignored is dead on arrival.
"The vaccination scolds are more concerned with being right than being compassionate, or empathetic to people who’ve been kicked around over their politics and their skepticism for four years. Clearly, the scold approach isn’t working and won’t work. Sympathy should be the response but we get blame instead."
The problem with this is that it's unclear how society can be more sympathetic and expect folks to do the right thing. We've extended the carrots for months now, and we are where we are now with a significant number of resisters who won't do the right thing - no matter how nice you are or how much you try to make them feel good about the shot. The only thing that will convince enough people to get the shot at this point will be the pain and suffering inflicted on their families and local communities, by which time, it'll be too late. Apparently modern germ science is too theoretical for a significant number of Americans to understand.
I've got to admit Steve, this one threw me. I won't comment on Fulton County, you know Georgia better than I. I have no idea if what you are claiming is true or not, but the goal should be a system that works well...for both parties. Making voting as simple and as efficient is an outcome most states have managed to solve. Stupid "fixes" from either party are well, stupid.
I am more perplexed by this paragraph you wrote: "I understand that masks are the next best thing to vaccination in stopping the spread when herd immunity can’t be achieved. I understand that unvaccinated people will get very sick from the Delta variant, and that Delta seems to spread more easily than the original virus. All true. But we’re talking messaging and politics here, not right and wrong."
Sorry brother, but political messaging is well down my list of what this past year has been all about. In the case of diseases that killed over 600,000 American's my one concern is outcomes. And to be clear, that comes from "right and wrong."
Haranguing about messaging is just more fodder for the foolish. Nope, not calling anyone foolish, simply talking about nonsensical arguments that keep people from doing the right thing. Our only way out of this is herd immunity. We either get there with vaccinations or doubling or tripling the numbers already dead. What is the right choice?
And so we are clear, i did a search to see where masks have been mandated; not much there. I know, you couched this in "recommending masks for vaccinated people indoors"and provided the link. so let's be clear, it is a recommendation and in fact for counties that are facing % increases exceeding certain thresholds. Let me cap it; RECOMMENDATIONS.
You don't want to put one on don't. People refuse to get vaccinated, they won't. It's their choice, but if this once again runs rampant, then what? Are we still going to whine about "political messaging" or are we going to focus on "doing the right thing?"
Hopefully the experts are wrong, the increases they are seeing won't spike. Hopefully it will all "magically go away," (how's that for a political message BTW?). What we do know is we are in the "good times" of summer where folks are outside. When they bring it indoors, what do you expect"
I ask that in all seriousness. I read you in spite of what you write because most often; while i disagree, you are logical and consistent (fairly) in your comments and your positions. This is one of those times where your logic, given what is happening with the Delta variant, just plain misses the mark.
I'm so sick of having the right tell me that I should be respectful for the idiots who are risking my life because of their stupidity. Or how we are the ones keeping them from taking the vaccine. It's such bull. You can not fix stupid. And there is a lot of stupid in this country.
My doctors told me not to even be near unvaccinated people. They told me to mask everywhere and to avoid large gatherings if I couldn't ensure everyone is vaccinated. So don't bring medical professionals into your stupid tirades about masks. Or complain when the CDC sees the new troubling data about Delta and reacts accordingly.
You wanna get people vaccinated then your going to have to make it hurt for them not too. Ban them from flights, stores, anywhere that isn't their houses. Force insurance companies to jack up their rates.
We are in this mess because of these idiots. It will get worse unless we actually make efforts that will work and "being nice" to them won't.
200 ballots were scanned twice: does that really show intent to commit fraud, or just an accident that requires some checks on the process?
This entire piece is itself stupid in the morning, stupid in the evening, and at dawn, dusk, midnight and noon. Additionally, exactly how long are we supposed to emotionally coddle the "facts over feelings" crowd?? Another 85k to 100k deaths later? Will it be ok then to do some Real Talk with them? Vaccinated America is getting pissed with emotionally wounded toddlers' temper tantrums because they were called names for awhile. Grow up and do the right thing! It it abhorrent that we actually need masks in some areas because people are "sensitive".
Also isn't it about time you start blaming the politicians on the right like Trump and Cruz and DeSantos who chose politics and personal ambition over doing what's right? I mean they are the ones who convinced a bunch of moronic right wingers that the CDC and masks and COVID is all political.