Tag: #2020Vote

  • I Voted, Early

    I got out and voted early in NYC. It was a misty, overcast gray day in the City, and my guess is that was why my line wasn’t too long. Over the weekend, lines were waiting on average about two hours to vote. A neighborhood email newsletter I follow was saying that our preceint wait time was about an hour and a half. Not too bad, and to be honest, I really didn’t care if the line took four hours.

    We originally wanted to take the kid with us to vote, as we have done in the past, but she doesn’t do well waiting in a line longer than 10 minutes. The wife went on Tuesday, and I went on Wednesday.

    Start to finish, getting in line, to walking out the door after voting took 25 minutes. For my wife it took about 50. It was an efficient, well run enterprise. The easiest voting I have ever done.

    The only draw back was that I didn’t have a moment of catharsis on casting my vote, for a second time, against Trump. I had been looking forward to this moment for just about four years, but when it came, it felt more like I was just doing what had to be done. Like cleaning up after a messy child.

    I am glad I did it, voting early that is. Now, I just hope it works out.

  • Early Voting

    Today is my day. I got all my information, and I know where the polling place is. Just down the block from our building. it is a cold and overcast day, sporadic rain. There will be a line, but my guess is that it won’t be that bad.

    I say that because my wife voted last night. Our original plan had been to go as a family so our daughter could see democracy in action. But this time around democracy in action meant just about everyone was taking action, and the wait time over the weekend was close to two hours. That’s just too long for a five year old to spend in a line with nothing to do. When the wife went yesterday, the line took forty minutes to get through.

    Last time we voted in the neighborhood was back on election day 2016, and at 8am, there was no wait time, not even a line. We got in and out easily, maybe spending 15 minutes in the polling location.

    I’m excited about early voting today. I’m even excited about standing in line. I’m excited to take action and be a part of the process. I’m trying to stay positive today. Good things happen when people are involved.

  • A Crack in Trump’s Support?

    I am still having trouble coming to terms with how awful that debate was on Tuesday. I keep rereading articles, looking at polling data, and watching clips of the awful performance by Trump. Even on Wednesday, Trump still couldn’t find a way to come out and denounce white supremacist groups during “Chopper Talk.”

    I have observed that most hardcore Conservatives and Republicans have no issue with how Trump behaved, and even in some comments, they even have applauded it. That, I sort of expected. The other thing I noticed on social media, which might be more telling, was that my Conservative and Republican friends have gone silent about the debate. I would refer to them as moderate conservatives; taxes and abortion are their biggest issues but they don’t delve into conspiracy theories. They are posting about issues, and not posting about Trump as a leader. Such as, “We got to get people back to work to save the economy,” rather than, “Trump is the only person who can save this economy…”

    I admit that this observation is completely anecdotal, and not supported by scientific polling or any data. It’s just a feeling. And my gut tells me moderate conservatives are beginning to rethink Trump. Maybe not voting for Biden, but maybe thinking about not voting.

  • Post-Debate: This is bad…

    This is bad folks. Really bad. Such as, I am very nervous that the United States might not survive this election.

    It wasn’t just one moment of Trump’s shit show. And there were some really awful moments. The interrupting, the conspiracy theories, the environment forest management thing, the doubting of a fair election. Then Trump told his supporters that they should go to the polls and intimidate voters, and that the Proud Boys should stand by to be called into action. It is just horrifying that. I never thought that an American politician would behave like that, in public.

    But taken as a whole, what I was left feeling is that Trump doesn’t care who he has to hurt, or what he has to destroy, to win. For Trump, it’s win or nothing. And even if he does win, I don’t think that will be enough. I think he will go after his political opponents, and try to put them in jail.

    I joked after the Republican convention that I left feeling like I was a hunted creature for being liberal. After last night, I think Trump will call on his supporters and white supremacists to go and riot in the streets. That open conflict will follow on November 3rd.

    Even if Trump comes to his senses, and agrees to a peaceful transfer, he has already put the thought out there, and you cannot take it back.