Well, it’s election day. Alas, we likely won’t know how the Presidential race went before we go to bed tonight. Maybe, hopefully this time tomorrow morning I’ll wake up and see/hear the beautiful words ‘President-Elect Kamala Harris.’ In the meantime we are left with the pundits talking about voter turnout, predictions and yesterdays frenetic campaign schedule. Before turning off the TV I saw VP wannabe J.D. Vance angrily calling VP Harris trash. Literally.
Newsweek has an article about Vance’s comments and if you haven’t seen a clip of the moment it’s something worth checking out:
JD Vance: "The trash's name is Kamala Harris." pic.twitter.com/8QMtRoSoiV
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 4, 2024
There’s a couple of things I want to make clear. First, there’s no “context” crap that can be explained away. Vance literally called Kamala Harris trash. Here’s a transcript from the linked article quoting that segment of his speech:
“Our message to Kamala Harris is very simple,” Vance told the cheering crowd. “The citizens of this country are not garbage for thinking you’re doing a bad job. The citizens of this country are not racist for thinking you ought to close down that damn southern border. The citizens of this country are not garbage for wanting to be able to afford groceries and a nice place to live. But in two days, we are gonna take out the trash in Washington, D.C. And the trash’s name is Kamala Harris.”
This was a carefully crafted comment meant to inflame both the crowd Vance was speaking to and MAGAs in general. If Team Trump really does want to incite violence today and in the days to come this kind of rhetoric is how to go about it. Now, I have plenty of thoughts about J.D. Vance and I don’t even need the fingers of one hand to cite any that are good. However I’ll withhold going ‘jarhead grunt’ on my fellow jarhead ‘Remington Raider’ (admin puke) in part because Ursula would have to kick me off the site if I spoke my mind but also because I want to focus on other things.
Take a good look at Vance. He’s downright angry. Maybe because he’s seen internal polling that says he and Trump are going to lose? I sure as hell hope so. Let’s move on. Vance is rich as hell thanks to his good buddy Peter Theil. If Harris wins I think in all the post election analysis Vance will come in for a lot of scrutiny he’s not going to like. So will his benefactor Theil. And there will be a series of deep dives into just why Theil showered so much largesse on Vance to the point of maneuvering to get him on the ticket with Trump.
I also want to mention something I wrote about the other day. Body Language. I wrote that in the final couple of weeks and especially as we got to the last week of the campaign it could well be body language of the candidates mattered. That polls were all over the place, at least those where the results that got made public. Campaigns do their own internal polling and ask questions the stuff we read/hear about in the news don’t. They are often more granular, especially on some key factors and therefore more accurate. If a candidate sees their internals and things look promising they feel good. On the other hand if the internals don’t look good they worry. A LOT. That’s where body language comes in. Some politicians are better actors than others but few have true acting chops and it’s hard to hide how they are really feeling for any length of time.
Now consider Vance and that he’s freaking rich. Also consider that he’s clearly vain. In that sense he’s a kindred spirit with Trump. I doubt it takes anywhere near as long for Vance’s campaign trail stylist to arrange his hair, trim his beard and apply his makeup. Especially the eyeliner. He tends to be perfectly presentable and perfectly coifed and poised in his speeches. He sure as hell wasn’t in that tweet I’ve shown!
Vance wasn’t just angry (with a touch of defensive?) in his demeanor, he was borderline disheveled. Sweaty. A quite noticeable lock of hair plastered to his sweaty forehead. I don’t know about you but this strikes me as a guy who has suddenly realized he and his boss (now Trump instead of Theil) are in deep sh*t. So, like his boss Vance lashed out. I’m sure Trump loved it. So did MAGAs and so will MAGAs who will see that clip today and in the days to come. Independent voters and those famous suburban GOP ‘soccer moms?’ Not so much. And Team Trump and other GOP candidates desperately need those voters to ‘come back home.’ Harris closed the campaign with a hopeful, uplifting message. Trump (and Vance) closed (as expected) with grievance and name calling. Literally on the eve of election day!
While trying to quiet my mind last night so I could fall asleep I kept thinking about Vance and one moment in particular during the campaign. I looked and looked for a picture I recall of him being a good ways off from the VP plane – both his and hers were on the tarmac of the same airport at the same time. Vance actually tried to, with his team board it and Harris Secret Service detail sent them packing. Vance’s own knew better than to try and force the issue but it did make the news. With that picture of Vance staring at the plane. He spun the thing as a ‘That’s going to be MY ride in a few months so I wanted to check it out.’ At the time I thought dream on a$$hole.
I smiled and started to relax when a new item for my fantasy list popped into my head. It was a Harris/Walz win, and Vance being escorted to Andrews AFB by a Secret Service detail to watch Vice President TIM WALZ board that plane for the first time. And pointing at J.D. Vance, breaking out into laughter and entering the plane! Ok, so I have weird fantasies in recent years. Still, it’s a delicious one to contemplate. I’ll be happy if you’ve read this and you agree! Let’s hope this all works out the way we hope, and the meme makers go to town using the scenario I’ve just outlined.
My own photoshop skills suck but there are folks who could easily create this kind of thing. And oh my the captioning they could come up with. Then there are those who would with each tweet containing such a meme chime in with their own mocking comments to Vance. Assuming Elon Musk doesn’t have a hissy fit and ban all making fun of Vance and Trump. That IS a very real possibility. First though is getting all our voters to cast their votes. I remain convinced there are more of us than there are Trump voters. But if every one of OUR voters don’t follow through and, if they haven’t already, get their butts to their polling station and vote there won’t be any fun to be had.
So vote. If you already have encourage others to vote. If they need a ride give them one or help them arrange one. Cover the cost of a cab or Uber if that’s what it takes. Harris did all she could. Now WE have to do all WE can to get out the vote!
South Irving tx. Drizzling. Cool. Feels cold. But sun will burn off by 10am (central).😀. My prediction… country wide inch deep. Obvious blue states. 10 northeast, 4 pacific. From east to west, Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada. Now comes the women are pissed and tired of a fat delusional demented POS… in other words tight and close but blue waved. Georgia, Florida, Wisconsin, iowa , Nebraska, Nevada and Arizona. Can other states go blue🤔🤔. Would be laughing at maga and celebrating if Ohio Indiana and Kentucky are called for Kamala before Georgia and Pennsylvania. Folks take a nap… or two. Things might be hopping till one or two am. Some states will be counted (and obvious) before Georgia and Pennsylvania. Have more faith in Florida than Texas. Can’t get a feel for this state🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
Start this over… I will be fully drunk long before they call the election for that orange piece of shit and will stay that way until I can figure out a way to get me and half of our money out of the country. I do not and cannot see any way VP Harris can win. I have seen so much enthusiasm for her but dumpsterfire has been perfecting cheating and court packing for YEARS!!! muskrats’ own lawyers admitted the $1M/day giveaway was a hoax and a scam, a grift, and a fraud. And??? Crickets. Sorry, I’m being held together by just a few cobwebs right now. I cannot take any more. If I am wrong, I will be back to apologize for my doubt. Thank you for all you guys have done and meant in my life
Texas and Florida? Tantalizing but I just don’t see it. In the latter both the state and country Democratic Party officials and their “organizations” capitulated to the GOP a decade or more ago. Basically they put up some storefronts to make a minimal show but mostly effectively, if not actually in quiet, desperate phone calls and meetings said “we won’t put up a fight so please don’t hurt us!” Texas hasn’t even had that although Beto O’Rourke got the beginnings of something going there. However it never turned into a robust statewide thing and Texas is one big ass state both in geography and population.
For all that, while neither state will go blue today or anytime soon I think there are Senate Races that are worth watching. Rick Scott is running scared in FL, especially with that reproductive rights measure on the ballot. Unlike most states where fifty percent plus one vote is enough to get ballot measures passed in FL it take 60%. That’s a tough nut to crack but organizers say they are in the ballpark and I don’t think they are blowing smoke up people’s butts about it. It might not get sixty percent but don’t be surprised if it gets close to passing. The point is that if FL voters and women in particular (lots of pissed off retired women in FL this year over the Dobbs decision) make it a point to vote on enshrining abortion rights into the state’s Constitution it could have a wider impact.
They known damn well FL GOP legislators led by DeSantis will engage in all manner of f**kery to keep the measure from actually working as intended IF it passes and are likely looking ahead to make a lot of Republicans pay for their intransigence. Scott might be a Senator but he’s got a lot of influence in FL politics and money to spend helping fellow Republicans – and the ability to get other rich assholes to kick in. It might take sixty percent to pass that ballot measure but Scott’s against it. Personally he probably doesn’t care one way or the other but he’s damn sure screwed with the GOP if he comes out and supports the ballot measure. So he’s instead against it although from what I can tell trying to keep some distance.
I don’t think that will fly with women in FL. The ballot measure might need sixty percent, but Scott’s Democratic opponent only needs FIFTY percent plus one vote to unseat him. So the Senate race in FL could be a BFD and we will know before we go to bed tonight.
In Texas Ted Cruz has a LOT of weight from that state’s inertia when it comes to electing Republicans in statewide races. O’Rourke gave Cruz something of a scare last time though. And left behind at least some semblance of a structure for others to build on. Democrats have understandably been hesitant to invest the HUGE amount of money and effort into creating a robust statewide operation that can truly compete. However, Cruz suffers from not only being the most hated (even by fellow Republicans) in the Senate but widely and intensely disliked politicians in Texas.
With Colin Allred Democrats have a helluva candidate. Young, bright, charismatic and he was even a freaking college football star in Texas and played some pro football. Football is a secondary form of religion in Texas as it is in many states in the south and it might sound crazy but that could be a factor. Building statewide name recognition was always going to be a tough lift for Allred and we don’t know how well he’s done on that score and whether he’s parked his biography and image deep and wide enough in voter’s minds. Polling shows Cruz likely to pull out another narrow win. Narrower this time but still a win.
However Allred is compelling and despite the machinations of Gov. Abbot and AG Paxton to f**k with things, especially in the Houston area (and Dallas/Ft. Worth too) Allred just might surprise us all. Including Cancun Cruz. And again, women might well be the reason due to Texas draconian abortion law which Cruz supports.
The Senate is a tough task for Democrats. We were bound to lose one seat in WV – I don’t believe Manchin would have won had he run and neither did he which is why he retired and tried to make nice with No Labels. Montana was, incredibly going to be tough for REAL Montanan Jon Tester even though running against a carpetbagger with policy notions that run counter to what the folks there actually want. It’s been looking like a loss there for us too, although over the weekend I saw some stories about Tester perhaps making a stronger showing than anticipated. I’m skeptical. I hope I’m wrong but I consider that seat lost too.
Nebraska might see the GOP lose a seat but frankly we don’t know that that Independent that might win will do. If he wins he’s going to be courted by both sides but even if he chooses to caucus with Democrats I’m guessing we can count on him to be the new Manchin – a “with friends like these who needs enemies?” a-hole. I think we’ll hold our seat in close races in NV, MI and WI. So it could come down to Ohio and whether Sherrod Brown can pull one more electoral rabbit out of the hat.
I don’t think you’re wrong about MT Denis. I mean, I hope you are but I’ve lived here long enough to know just how freaking brain-dead montanans are. Thing is, they’ll vote the carpet-bagger into office then bitch and whine and moan when they lose access to public lands. We went through something a bit similar back in the 90’s-MT had pretty bar none the lowest energy prices in the nation. Our utilities were public utilities so our electric was at bargain prices. Enron didn’t like that so they sent in Marc Racicot, a big ass ad campaign, and the long and short of it is Northwest Energy and MT Dakota own our electric/gas utilities and we went from cheapest in the land to some of the highest prices in the nation. I will tell you one thing: any time some putz complains in my hearing about elec. prices my immediate response is “so, did you vote for racicot and to privatize our elec/gas utilities”?
I see no difference between this senate election and that bit in the 90’s. I think we will be screwed, badly. I hope people here like looking at mountains because when the public lands are sold, that’s all they’ll be able to do. Oh, and ladies–spread them legs and start pushing out them kids ’cause that’s what shitty sheehy has planned for you at the national level which will trump MT’s constitution.
It is sad that an election with so much at stake is in the hands of people so stupid.
I’ve only been to MT once and fell in love with the place. I was a featured speaker (also a panelist) at an International Wildlife conference in Bozeman back in 1992. Since I flew into a different city I had a nice long drive to get over to Bozeman. Back in those days when I worked in conservation promoting outdoor ethics I often had my expenses paid to travel and give talks. Air travel, hotel at least. Since most of the places were so wonderful I’d spend an extra day or two on my own dime for additional hotel nights and car rental before flying back home. I of course did that when I went to Bozeman so I could drive down into Yellowstone and even into Grand Teton. If I hadn’t had to get back home I’d have stayed longer.
I found Bozeman charming and suggested to some of the (locals) hosting it might be a good place for me to relocate if I could find work which was possible in different ways back then. They said (even then) I likely wouldn’t be able to afford it, and even if I could at the rate out of staters were coming in buying up homes prices were already driving out families who’d been there for generations.
But I had a great time and that drive between Bozeman and the airport in another city gave me a chance to understand Montana’s nickname as The Big Sky State. I’m sure Tester would be bummed, both personally and for the country if he loses tonight. However part of him would like being able to spend the rest of his days working his land. In other words he’d get over it quicker than most politicians would because of what he’d go home to.
I forgot to mention something. There was a GREAT party of sorts the evening the conference wrapped up in the mid afternoon. Most attendees stuck around instead of heading for airports and home. I didn’t encounter anyone who wasn’t glad to stay an extra night in Bozeman. Rob Quist and his band put on a full show and Jack Gladstone joined them for the evening. They broke for a long intermission and I had a great chat with Rob. Bought one of his CDs too. Wonderful music about a wonderful place.
Indeed hillbilly boy, people are not racist for wanting lower grocery prices. I do however think a case can be made for calling them racist when they blame immigrants, legal or otherwise, for high grocery prices when in fact food chains are practicing PRICE GOUGING. Blaming the wrong people, especially when it always seems to land on people of color, can be put in the racist column pretty easily and accurately.
Pols like hillbilly boy sure do want to avoid bitching about price gouging practices going on right now in way too many industries. I wonder how much they’re being bribed-because that is the only accurate term for THAT behavior.
In other words, it’s his fallback