Posts Made By: James Brown

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

Well, it's hard to understand how you're still on the fence, particularly after the, "stand back , standby" recitation. You might as well accede to Trump's poll watchers, too. Perhaps Rich Davis could act a surrogate watcher in your case since he lives in relative proximity or you could mail your vote to him first so he can verify its authenticity.
Seriously though, I think you ought to listen to the Mrs and get your decided vote in for Biden and before one of the watchers does get a hold of it...

No worries, I'll drop my mail-out ballot off in one of the many safe secure and convenient drop boxes peppering the state.  The Secretary of State will confirm receipt by email.  Safe and easy as voting can be!  

Originally Posted by Russ Carroll

You should also be very happy to see Trumpism crushed, helping to put a wooden spike through its satanic heart by voting for Dems across the board for all national races. Otherwise, where will the conservative movement go to reform? Do you really want to be in the party of racists, rednecks, and misguided old white evangelicals, all led by some member of the Trump family??? FFS, even the actual mafia takes out bad leaders and put in new ones from outside of the family.

This is silly Russ.  Trumpism will be crushed when Trump is ranting on Fox news, or whatever he chooses to do after the election.  No Trump will ever again hold national office.

I've met Corey Gardner - he is a good man and a noble public servant.  Run through he list of R Senators and you can say the same about most of them.  I understand that power corrupts at the top, but at the state, local and most national levels the R politicians are predominately decent people with decent values.  As far as fiscal restraint goes, you have an indisputable point of course, but the politicians respond to the people.  Cart and horse...we all need to look in the mirror...that sort of thing. 

My lodestone is becoming 4 or 8 of Joe, then 8 of Nikki Haley.  Another decent person, although I have not met her personally.

Jim

Originally Posted by James Lacey

The good news is, I think that debate changed minds. Anecdotally, I know several life-long Republicans and Texans that are now voting for Biden. The "Proud Boys Stand Back and Stand By!" comment and the attack on Hunter for addiction issues while Biden was talking about Beau, who served our nation, won the bronze star, and died too young of cancer were the things that caused their change. It turns out people don't like it when the President inspires white-supremacists to carry out voter intimidation. They also are not keen on the President attacking someone's admirable dead son.

The FBI is concerned about the threat of far-right violence during the election, and I think most people can see that the President is doing everything in his power to disrupt and erode trust in the vote. He is also the single most significant source of misinformation about the COVID pandemic. Does he think all this chaos he creates will help him get reelected? My sense is most people are tired of it all.

This captures it pretty well.

Originally Posted by James Brown

I am a Republican who has voted Republican for the last couple of decades.  I voted against Obama twice.  Please recognize that I am, in my own view, a moderate.  I am a social libertarian. 

Jim

Oops, it has been called to my attention that I voted for Obama his first go-round.  Sorry to overstate my R bona-fides to Paul.

Jim

Originally Posted by Russ Carroll

I'd much rather go down fighting and let history show that I remained true to the Constitution and my principles (that got me elected incidentally) rather than become subservient to a man like Trump who only has one philosophy - himself.

Corey needs and deserves the punishment that is coming. If he had the balls of his convictions, he might be looking at becoming the first Independent Senator from the State of Colorado this year instead of a loser with a scarlet T on his epitaph when Hickenlooper retires him.

Russ, you have the luxury and blessing of not being a politician.  Actual politicians like Gardner must work with the party if they want to get anything done.  Right now, Trump is the president.  Remember Joe saying "I am the Democratic Party" early in the debate.  That is BS even though Trump certainly believes it and maybe even Biden believes it.  The R party will return to "normalcy" and I mean the good, the bad and the ugly parts of the R party in the next cycle. 

With much respect, sincere respect, I listen to what you are saying and it is a data point of significance, but I think you are forgetting that politics is cyclical.  

Jim

Originally Posted by Russ Carroll

We would both say that if Mark Meadows were President. We both would not say that if Hitler were. We only disagree on where Trump falls on this spectrum.

Yes.

Originally Posted by Russ Carroll

This isn't an anomaly, so don't stress over it when it happens to you, Nobody here believes his schtick, other than you-know-who.

Voldemort?

Sorry I'm late.  I missed the news breaking last night.  I wish the President and First Lady a speedy recovery, and a mild or asymptomatic infection.  I did have a couple of political thoughts.  One cynical, one probably a fantasy.

Cynical:  I certainly hope the Feds have Pence and his wife in a very tight hermetically sealed bubble.  

Fantasy:  This is the sort of event that has come up from time to time during Trump's presidency where I, being who I am, think to myself:  "Wow, he could really turn this to his advantage.  Go on TV for a fireside chat.  Level with the people, let them know that he was wrong about masks and distancing.  Project a warm but strong persona.  Let us know that his spirits are up and that he'll be working through this.  Reaffirm that the end of the pandemic is in view, but that we can not let our guard down.  Be human.  Graciously accept our thoughts and prayers..."

I think a frank admission that he should have been wearing a mask on the helicopter and elsewhere, and asking us not to repeat his mistake would speak volumes directly to the swing voters in the swing states.  Twitter is not going to cut it.  He'd have to go on TV and look us all right in the eye and be genuine.  I doubt it is going to happen of course, because like me and you, Trump is who he is. 

J

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

So, what is the problem?  I thought you guys on the left were all for MAIL-IN Ballots.  

Is there a problem w/mailing it in?  Don't you want 100% mail in voting?

Rich:

I assume you know and appreciate that our Mail-in system in Colorado has worked great for a decade.  I also assume you know that "Mail-in" is a catch-all phrase we use for our system where ballots are mailed out, and then returned by mail, returned to a drop box, or returned to a government office.  I also assume you know, if you have been paying attention to my posts at all, that in Colorado the majority of ballots are returned to drop boxes, since we are strongly encouraged not to mail them in within a week of election day.  This is of course necessary because Colorado prudently does not count ballots received after COB on election day.

Given that drop boxes are a key aspect of an intelligently designed mail-in system, I can not see why Abbott would limit the number of boxes other than to make voting inconvenient, thus suppressing the vote.

Also, I have been following this issue fairly closely, and I have not seen a single person call for actual 100% strict mail return of the ballots.  Drop boxes are a key feature of every system.  I assume you know this.

I've asked you many times and you always twist and dodge, but here is one more for the road:  Do  you have any problem with the CO mail-out / mail-in / drop off system?

Jim

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

A balant effort at voter suppression. One of the counties in Texas is the size of Rhode Island.
To vote by mail in Texas you must:
To be eligible to vote early by mail in Texas, you must:

be 65 years or older;
be sick or disabled;
be out of the county on election day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance; or
be confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.


To request the absentee ballot you must:
Review the absentee ballot application and confirm that you meet the eligibility requirements for voting absentee.
Fill out the application completely.
Submit the request to your local election office. You should request your ballot as far in advance of the election as possible. The deadline to request a ballot by mail is (received by) Friday, October 23, 2020.
When your ballot arrives, read it carefully and follow the instructions to complete it and return it.


Now, thinking as a Republican,  for a suitable, single  drop off box in Colorado, I suggest Mt Elbert. Suggested drop-off attire: hiking gear, grappling hooks, O2 tanks. etc

Mt. Elbert is a reasonably easy climb Rod.  You'd be better off with your drop box on something more remote - maybe Capital Peak near Aspen.  The only non-technical  approach involves a long knife-edge ridge you have scoot along on your butt for quite a ways.  Fatal drop on each side.  My wife and I looked at it years ago, and chickened out completely...

Jim