What about Kamala?

[old man emu]

While Kamala Harris's polling results show that her popularity is higher than Trump's, that is no guarantee of victory, even if that popularity is expressed in the votes cast. In the 2016 election, more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton than any other losing presidential candidate in US history. She outvoted Donald Trump by almost 2.9 million votes, with 65,844,954 (48.2%) to his 62,979,879 (46.1%), according to revised and certified final election results from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

 

The reason that she did not gain the Presidency was due to the operation of a thing known as the Electoral College. The Electoral College is the group of presidential electors comprised of each State's electors appointed using legal procedures determined by its legislature. In 48 of the 50 states, state laws mandate that the winner of the popular vote in that State receives all of that state's electoral votes which is how the concept of "winning a State" comes about. 

 

The number of electoral votes a state has equals its number of Senators (2) plus its number of Representatives in the House of Representatives. This means that the States with the greatest populations have the largest numbers of House of Reps members. This diagram shows the number of voters in the Electoral College each State has. The diagram shows what happened in 2016. Blue shows Clinton's wins; red Trump's, and there were seven who votes cast for other people.

 

 

 

Though the legitimacy of Trump's victory has never come into serious doubt, high-profile Clinton supporters have held up the dissonant results as an argument for fundamentally changing the system. After the election, retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat and vocal Clinton backer, introduced a bill to abolish the Electoral College. “This is the only office in the land where you can get more votes and still lose the presidency,” Boxer said in a statement. “The Electoral College is an outdated, undemocratic system that does not reflect our modern society, and it needs to change immediately.”

 

How do I think that this will affect Harris's chance of winning the Presidency? Trump’s victories in swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida – all carried by Obama four years previously – gave him a comfortable edge in the Electoral College. Look at the number of Electoral College votes Trump got across the South - The Bible Belt - and through the Midwest. Since these States give all their Electoral College votes on a winner-takes-all basis, and these voters are pretty much ultra-conservative, dyed-in-the-wool Republicans, I fear that her efforts will be in vain, unless those Republican voters suddenly have their eyes opened to the fact that Trump is the very antithesis of their deep religious beliefs.

[willedoo]

A problem the Democrats have is getting supporters to vote. When Biden was the nominee, polls showed the ratio of supporters intending to vote significantly favouring Trump. With Harris, that's improved but they've still got a way to go to get enough people to vote. Jam packed venues full of supporters is preaching to the converted, but they seem to be hoping the momentum will have a flow-on effect and encourage more to vote.

[old man emu]

9 minutes ago, willedoo said:

Jam packed venues full of supporters is preaching to the converted

In a way it is, but another effect on people who attend those rallies is that when they go home they are more likely to talk to friends and family. They also use those talks to encourage people to vote, which is one of the failings of a non-compulsory attendance at voting places system. 

 

I worry also about polling figures which put a candidate ahead of the competition. That leads to, "What's the point of me voting, they are going to win anyway," which is what lost Hillary the 2016 election in some swing State.

 

The elephant in the room, and I don't mean the Republicans' one, is that Harris is a woman. Looking at her CV, she's the logical candidate, but can she overcome the misogyny that is so strong in the culture of the USA? Hillary Clinton says in her book that misogyny and sexism are what are keeping women in the USA from becoming equal to men in all facets of the life of the country. You've only got to look at the way misogyny has stripped away the basic human right of a woman to control the reproductive functions of their own bodies.

[facthunter]

Australia is unique with Compulsory voting. America is the last place you'd  ever expect THAT Law to be adopted.. Trump's policing/ harassment of the Booths will make  sure they only vote for HIM as much as is possible. After that, when HE is ELECTED???? He'll  "COME AFTER" those who didn't help him and Vance says there will be Civil WAR. Nev

Edited August 22 by facthunter

[old man emu]

1 hour ago, facthunter said:

Australia is unique with Compulsory voting

Actually, the act of casting a vote is not compulsory. It is showing up to get your name crossed off that is compulsory. As for many things "No" is an acceptable response. You can go to the polling station; get your name crossed off; pick up your vote papers, and then put them straight into the ballot box without making a mark on them. That is your right, and you have complied with the Law.

[facthunter]

. Why do you always have to have the Last SAY? We all know what I mean. I've elaborated on your point many times. and  plus the reason for it.  Brevity is  a choice and at times a virtue.  Nev

[old man emu]

Just now, facthunter said:

Why do you always have to have the Last SAY?

I'm trans. Women always have the last say.

 

Besides, there is a difference between casting a vote and attending a polling station. I was trying to make that distinction.

[Jerry_Atrick]

I used to be an election day polling clerk in Australia - you don't even have to accept the ballot papers; once your name is marked off, it is job done.

 

Nev, I feel it is an important distinction because I reeject the notion because you don't vote, you shouldn't complain. Since the Brecit referendum here, I have only cast my vote in the last national election, which is what - 6 years later. The reason is no suitable candidates (IMHO) have been put forward locally or the parties that they would have formed government with.  It is my right not to give my seal of approval to anyone, but if we were actually required to vote, then we would be denied our democratic right to express our preferences.

 

The other reason is you would be surprised at how many people think they have to cast a ballot - and then how many people think they have to vote (or at least try their best given some of the big ballots you get these days). As a polling clerk, I could only advise on how to fill out a ballot and not which people to fill out ballots for. You would be surprised at the amount of people that wanted to know how to fill it out properly only to tell me they wouldn;t vote for any if they had the chance. A good 50% of those who posed the question (which wasn't much - maybe 5% of the voters overall)..

 

I don't know how many, if any visit these forums as guests - but it is always good to ensure those that we don't know who visit know what we mean when we say compulsory voting - especially our new friend.

 

[Edit] I also recall as a young-an having a debate with a distant relative my age who was agruing that he had a democratic right not to vote and should not be forced to vote. I argued against it, but we were both under the misapprehension we had to vote.

Edited August 22 by Jerry_Atrick

[red750]

 

Some people write Mickey Mouse on the ballot paper. Then there's the guty who legally changed his name to Anybody Else and nominated on the ballot.

[facthunter]

 Ok  you're not listening. Also my other  posts must not be being read. I thought I had elaborated on the "Not required to actually VOTE" near to the point of  labouring  it. The NUB of my reply was "UNIQUE to this Country" and certainly NOT LIKELY  to be copied in the USA. The Historical reason was to stop your BOSS from rostering your Work to prevent you being able to vote.  Whether SOMEONE wishes to waste a right Many Countries people will die for, is up to the individuals STUPIDITY. and  lack of APPRECIATION of the VALUE of what WE have.  Nev

[old man emu]

47 minutes ago, facthunter said:

The NUB of my reply was "UNIQUE to this Country"

My apologies. I was distracted by the upper case "C" of compulsory. If the "u" of unique had been in upper case, I probably would have seen your emphasis.

[willedoo]

That's why people don't use caps where they are not supposed to be. Basic internet unwritten rules.

[facthunter]

In have a few fingers that have no feel which doesn't help.   Nev

[willedoo]

6 minutes ago, facthunter said:

In have a few fingers that have no feel which doesn't help.   Nev

I've got a bit of peripheral neuropathy that gets into the fingers at times. It can cause some uncommanded movements, the result of which is the mouse hand jumping slightly just as I'm about to click on something. It can be a nuisance.

Edited August 22 by willedoo

[facthunter]

I get a heap of CAPS LOCK Problems and it $#!ts ME when I have to redo extensive bits. Proves I'm not looking at the screen enough I suppose which is surprising as I'm Not much of a typist.  Nev

[willedoo]

You see a lot of typos on forums that I would guess are caused by people typing on phones or small devices. It's tricky enough on a full sized keyboard.

[old man emu]

I have two common keystroke faults: teh and becuase. Also the "s" key sometimes doesn't connect.

[Litespeed]

I only have a phone and it's bloody autocorrect.

 

It's a pain sometimes but U fellas seem to get the gist of what I write.

[onetrack]

We had a Canadian bloke (Joey Barnes) on one of the tractor forums, who was a bit dyslexic, anyway - but he always signed off with "thansk" - because he made the typing mistake so often, it became his trademark ending!

He wrote a pile of books about his life in the "Great White North" - they're straight from his fingers with no professional editing, and they make entertaining reading.

 

https://www.amazon.com/King-of-Obsolete-Series-5-book-series/dp/B08YXZNW7D

 

 

Edited August 22 by onetrack

[red750]

We've been well educated by a couple of contributors. I had problems on my laptop when the keys started acting up,doubling or missing. I ended up buying a plug-in keyboard to help get around the problem.

 

Meanwhile, back to the subject.

 

 

 

 

 

[Litespeed]

Meanwhile back on the ranch....

 

 

Jimmy went to the thunderbolt and  Redback but him on the balls..

[onetrack]

I read it was a Thai bloke, and he got bitten on the cojones, by a snake in the dunny!  Now I've heard of going to "syphon the python", but this is a whole new level again!!

 

https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/offbeat/thai-man-bitten-on-testicles-by-python-after-sitting-on-toilet-c-15787013

[willedoo]

58 minutes ago, old man emu said:

I have two common keystroke faults: teh and becuase.

That's that disconnect with typing as opposed to handwriting. I'd bet you wouldn't do it if you were writing with pen and paper.

[willedoo]

Poor old Kamala. 75 days to go and we've forgotten about her already.

[onetrack]

Nah, we haven't forgotten - it's just that politics and U.S. politics in particular, can get pretty boring and done to death. I do await the next Trump tantrum, though, as he sees his popularity under siege. A sentencing for his NY crimes soon, might ring the bell for another round of tantrums and a popularity reset.