I was champing at the bit to vote early, and did, along with 145,000 other Michigan voters, which suggests a lot of bit-champing out there. My early-voting center said it had been steady all day, and it was. Didn’t take me long with the straight-ticket option, a choice I used to scorn, but well: Things are different now. Then there were the usual Wayne County judicial races, lots of them unopposed and/or under-opposed, which means the ballot says “vote for no more than 18,” and there are only 16 names in the race, so why bother.
But it’s done. And I got the good sticker:
Now let’s see if the number of emails and texts drop off. I’ve found responding “fuck off” to the ones that come from candidates you despise works as well as STOP. Just another week and change until I can either stop taking OTC sleep aids, or start taking double doses, plus CBD gummies.
I’m fresh home from leading the neighborhood Halloween slow roll, although I didn’t. Lead, that is. I got the tandem out, wiped the dust off, pumped up the tires, made a playlist, and met about five kids and three adults at the appointed place. When we set out, I led for about half a block before three kids dressed as Ironman, some other superhero and a dragon (but “a Mario dragon, not a regular dragon”) blew past me and set a rather brisk pace. Fortunately, one of the other adults had done group rides before, and could outpace them and block the intersections. I just tooled along on my Soviet limousine, playing The Cramps and Bow Wow Wow, and everyone arrived at the block party safely.
Update: Just received a text from someone telling me to call Sen. Stabenow and tell her “Michigan families can’t afford higher prices and to support the elimination of taxes on overtime and tips to help families survive.” Testing my Fuck Off strategy.
Count me among those who are not outraged by the Washington Post’s non-endorsement. I’ve always found endorsements fairly silly, a relic from when every newspaper had a specific constituency. (Fun fact: There were once six daily newspapers in Fort Wayne, Indiana, two of them in German.) I could excuse a union worker for wondering which judge the labor paper thinks he or she could vote for. But the self-importance that some editorial boards display around this time is ridiculous, for a practice that maybe, maybe influences 10,000 votes nationwide. That said, to decide to forego endorsements this year of all years is only proof that an authoritarian doesn’t have to crack down, they just have to make other people think they might, and people like Jeff Bezos fall right in line. So I didn’t cancel our subscription. I should cancel Amazon Prime, and still might.
Meanwhile, I found this infuriating multimedia presentation on how abortion is, and isn’t, being performed in the new era. Dr. Kristi Tomlin’s story is particularly crazy-making.
Finally, if you’re online as much as I am, you’ve probably noticed the degradation of content on websites and social-media platforms. I used to hate that word — content — but what’s out there now doesn’t really deserve to be called anything else. Turns out, the problem is “slop,” most of it AI-generated. Interesting explanation at the link. I guess it was fun while it lasted.
Monday awaits us all. Hang tight.
David C said on October 27, 2024 at 5:33 pm
We mailed our ballots in and they were received on September 25th. About a week later all the mailings from Democrats stopped. The go vote texts stopped. The send money texts didn’t. The Republican and Jill Stein (same thing) mailings kept coming, the dumb fucks. There’s no partisan registration here so they can’t separate our wheat from their chaff that easily, but the only reason to piss away money on someone who has already voted is they’re stupid and don’t know what they’re doing.
489 chars
Jeff Gill said on October 27, 2024 at 6:58 pm
I’ve been watching CSPAN this afternoon now shading into evening, and it’s both infuriating but also encouraging: clearly the Trump campaign is doubling down on going after low propensity young male voters, in response to growing data that young women are voting early in larger numbers than even hoped for by the Harris campaign.
Dr. Phil was a wild card who went on to where I knew the prompters were flashing: “Dr. Phil, wrap up NOW” but he just kept a’going. Waiting with wary anticipation for former illegal migrant Musk’s speech, and what missteps he might make, just before the Donald makes his MSG entrance.
618 chars
ROGirl said on October 27, 2024 at 7:40 pm
I started listening to Pod Save America a few weeks ago and their clear and in-depth analysis is a sanity check on the swirling shitstorm of election news.
Took my ballot to the dropbox over a week ago, I’m still getting mailers.
233 chars
Dorothy said on October 27, 2024 at 8:11 pm
We voted nearly three weeks ago. There has been no slacking off of texts from all sides begging for dough.
Our daughter and her partner arrived mid afternoon. They’ll be here a few days. Their reason to come is because our son is being promoted to Major in the National Guard. We’ll all attend the ceremony this Wednesday. We had the end of the Washington Commanders game on (they live near DC). Did anyone else see that last play when the clock ran out?!? Jiminy Crackers it was a spectacular ending!!! So much screaming in our house!
544 chars
brian stouder said on October 27, 2024 at 8:16 pm
My lovely wife and I voted last week, and if lightening strikes – maybe Indiana will go Blue this year, eh? (My odds for winning a million dollars on the Hoosier Lottery are probably better, butcha never know, eh?)
217 chars
Peter said on October 27, 2024 at 8:47 pm
Yes Dorothy, I saw the end of that game. When I calm down I’ll remember that it’s really due to dumb luck that the Bears didn’t lose by at least 17 points.
156 chars
Heather said on October 27, 2024 at 9:05 pm
I’ve been reading about Trump’s MSG rally and it sounds like the only thing missing was Nazi flags hanging from the rafters. Even the New York Times, which has been terrible about sanewashing that dumbass, was like “wow, this is really racist.”
Still cautiously optimistic about the election.
295 chars
alex said on October 27, 2024 at 9:43 pm
Gave more money to Dems this year than I’ve ever given in an election cycle and they still keep bugging me but I don’t care.
Had neighborhood Halloween today and only one family conspicuously avoided trick-or-treating at our house, a former military couple across the street with a young daughter. They never wave or acknowledge us They used to keep their blinds drawn until they got a Jumbotron of a TV and now they not only show it off but emit light pollution halfway from here to Fort Wayne. I’ve been told they’ve been assholes to other neighbors so I won’t take their rejection personally. Years ago half the neighborhood avoided our house, so we’re making good progress.
Had a nice get-together with friends this evening and partook of our beer chili and did a booze cruise on our boat.
800 chars
basset said on October 27, 2024 at 10:45 pm
JulieR from yesterday: ours was on BA going out and AA coming back, still haven’t fully recovered.
Gotta recognize lots of helpful ground staff and particularly the wheelchair pushers, though, including the one who took both of us through BNA at a run… we weren’t late or anything, that’s just how he does it.
And I like that new track from the band. Are they still touring by van, or have they moved up to a bus and some crew?
440 chars
garmoore2 said on October 27, 2024 at 11:38 pm
When I read about the Orange One’s MSG speech, I was reminded of Molly Ivins’s comment on Pat Buchanan’s speech at the 1992 RNC:
“It probably sounded better in the original German.”
192 chars
Ann said on October 27, 2024 at 11:42 pm
Put my absentee ballot in the drop box several weeks back. Website confirms it’s been received. Only problem with voting absentee is that we don’t get the good stickers.
I really love this approach to the young men. Get them where their eyeballs are. https://michiganadvance.com/2024/10/23/u-of-m-alums-super-pac-targets-men-warning-project-2025-would-ban-porn/
The nice thing about living in a swing state after all our years in Illinois is that we get so many surrogates swinging through the area, even in Marquette. I skipped Bernie, though his rally was packed, but in the last ten days I’ve seen both Chasten Buttigieg and Gwen Walz. Troops are certainly fired up but there’s so much money on the other side. Hope we can pull it off.
745 chars
basset said on October 28, 2024 at 12:32 am
Say more about those stickers. Do you get a choice?
52 chars
nancy said on October 28, 2024 at 10:29 am
You do get a choice! They were all designed by Michigan schoolchildren. There are about eight or 10 to choose from, but for some reason the werewolf got national publicity. The artist goes to Kate’s old middle school, so that’s why I chose it.
243 chars
gretchen said on October 28, 2024 at 12:52 am
I type stop for the texts from Dems. Those from Trump and company, I don’t. Let them spend money and effort contacting me from their bad lists.
145 chars
Julie Robinson said on October 28, 2024 at 9:02 am
basset, I feel your pain. I’ll feel it again today as I get on a Frontier* flight after five days on my feet almost constantly.
*Never ever fly Frontier. Awful airline.
172 chars
Deborah said on October 28, 2024 at 9:28 am
This is another piece by the guy I’ve subscribed to, Brian Klaas. I think you can read it for free https://www.forkingpaths.co/p/billionaire-villains-and-the-evolution?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1184530&post_id=150752780&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=joul&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
It’s about the kind of people billionaires usually are, narcissistic, over confident, power hungry assholes. He wrote it a while ago but sent it out again today for obvious reasons.
543 chars
Jeff Borden said on October 28, 2024 at 9:59 am
tRump may lose the election, but it almost doesn’t matter. He’s demonstrated how many hateful, fearful, envious and angry morons live among us. The crowd reaction to the fascist rantings at MSG yesterday didn’t make me angry as much as it depressed and dismayed me. The ugliness won’t abate. It likely will grow. So much for “the shining city on the hill.”
356 chars
ROGirl said on October 28, 2024 at 10:41 am
Fascist rally at MSG? Nothing new under the sun there.
54 chars
Dexter Friend said on October 28, 2024 at 10:46 am
Trump has information. All cows will disappear. Then Kamala Harris is going to reinstate the military draft and send America’s children off to some country Trump has never heard of to die. Then one of Trump’s surrogates said of Puerto Ricans “…they don’t pull out, they cum inside. “. He was talking about all Puerto Ricans. He then said Puerto Rico is a “ floating garage dump.” All to thunderous cheers in New York.
437 chars
susan said on October 28, 2024 at 12:22 pm
Want to see a visual representation of $185 BILLION—if you could even imagine—which is the approximate wealth of Jeff Bezos? Here: https://mkorostoff.github.io/1-pixel-wealth/
NO ONE should have that amount of money. That is a huge policy failure. Tax that lickspittle at the 1950s rate of 91%. He’d still be a billionaire, and we could solve some problems.
Oh, and if you shop at Amazon, why? And if you subscribe to “Prime,” cancel it. Bezos clearly doesn’t need your money.
493 chars
susan said on October 28, 2024 at 12:50 pm
Oh, and here we go, burning ballots in Vancouver, WA… That is a right-wing area of the state, so the ballots could cancel out themselves.
281 chars
Suzanne said on October 28, 2024 at 1:04 pm
I don’t have Amazon Prime. Amazon has screwed up so many of my orders over the years that I try to avoid them.
I canceled my Washington Post subscription. I know it hurts the reporters who are just doing their jobs but I want no part of Bezos’ empire.
257 chars
tajalli said on October 28, 2024 at 1:59 pm
I order infrequently at Amazon; however, many of the common items I use are simply not available locally or at a very high price. Maybe half the time, the orders come early, in a Prime box, even though I don’t have Prime. And I’ve started to get Amazon Health Care offers.
272 chars
Little Bird said on October 28, 2024 at 6:05 pm
So the harangatang will be in Albuquerque on Halloween. He still hasn’t paid the monies he racked up the last time he was here. I can just imagine the tasteless jokes he will tell while here in my state.
I don’t want to be anywhere near Albuquerque Thursday.
265 chars
susan said on October 28, 2024 at 7:31 pm
Harangutang! Nice. And appropriate. I hadn’t seen that one before. Except, orangutans are so much more humane, nicer, smarter, and cooperative than OrangePustule.
162 chars
Dorothy said on October 28, 2024 at 8:18 pm
https://wapo.st/3NKRzHc
Bezos wrote an op Ed. Here’s a gift link.
68 chars
Deborah said on October 28, 2024 at 8:25 pm
Susan, OMG that visualization of Jeff Bezos’s wealth is mind blowing. It sent me even more into the stratosphere.
I quit Amazon for good at least I hope so. They didn’t make it easy, it’s hard to figure out how to the pull the plug on their app. I ended up calling and making the person stick with me during the whole process after she sent me an email while I was still on the phone with her. I made sure to tell her after she asked what my inconvenience was that made me want to quit. I told her that it wasn’t an inconvenience at all but that I was disgusted with the wealth hoarding of Jeff Bezos and how he wasn’t helping mankind and that I didn’t want to have anything to do with his companies anymore. She stayed with me through the process until the website said they would send me a text or email confirming that I was quitting. I asked her when I would receive that email and she said probably soon. I did get it about an hour later and clicked to confirm that I was ending my account, which immediately took me to the Amazon website and asked me a question that I didn’t understand about whether I wanted to do something with the cloud or something something and there wasn’t anything I could click to understand what they were asking so I just closed it all down while spitting mad. So right now I have no idea if they actually closed my account and all of my credit card info etc. I’m going to wait until tomorrow to call them back and ask for some confirmation from them that they have indeed closed it down. They make this as hard as they possibly can, of course they do.
1589 chars
Deborah said on October 28, 2024 at 8:37 pm
Dorothy, I saw your comment after I sent mine and read the opinion piece by Bezos in the Wa Po. I wish I felt better, but I don’t. Also the comments after the piece are very negative to Bezos. I didn’t read them all, there are well over a thousand already.
256 chars
Little Bird said on October 28, 2024 at 8:53 pm
Susan, I wish I could claim that I came up with it. One of my very favorite friends just came up with it today. I love having smart and witty friends.
151 chars
tajalli said on October 28, 2024 at 9:25 pm
David Gerrold, of Star Trek Tribble fame, has used harangatang and many other snide descriptors for brain-dead trolls and knee-jerk yes-men that clog up the comments sections. Don’t know that he invented it, though.
216 chars
Sherri said on October 29, 2024 at 12:17 am
Call it denial if you will, but I am choosing to believe that Kamala Harris will win next week, and it won’t be close enough for Republican election rat-fucking to screw it up.
That said, the work doesn’t end with the election of Harris. We still have to build a pluralistic, multiracial, multi-ethnic democracy, and there are still people who will fight that work. Some of them are even Democrats!
So, my encouragement to you is to stop obsessing over the polls and pundits, and instead think about how to reimagine democracy, and what you can do to help that.
573 chars
Jeff Gill said on October 29, 2024 at 5:42 am
Not to change the subject, but as it’s a perennial around here — a gift link for those looking at the mysteries of Medicare Advantage et alia…
https://www.nytimes.com/explain/2022/medicare-open-enrollment?unlocked_article_code=1.V04.-TCu.8n3wQ02q2hrC&smid=url-share
Sherri, couldn’t agree more. Harris will win, but the work doesn’t end the day Trump shuffles down a ramp and flies to Mar-a-lago.
409 chars
alex said on October 29, 2024 at 6:34 am
Glad I’ve got a couple of years yet to consider my Medicare options. I’ve heard that Medicare Advantage is just a big crony capitalist shell game where the insurance industry has its hands in the government till and shortchanges the consumer while pretending to offer more. Just as I prefer to manage my own retirement savings, I think I’ll go with traditional Medicare.
In reimagining democracy, I’d like to see stronger consumer protection. A country where half the people can be bamboozled into voting for the likes of Donald Trump is a country ripe for the picking and needs to be protected from itself.
611 chars
Dorothy said on October 29, 2024 at 7:14 am
I understand, Deborah. I read only Bezos’ words, not any of the comments that came after, because I just don’t need anymore negativity piled on top of other negativity that has been relentless for so SO long. Of course I have a personal stake in this – the whole brouhaha has launched so many people into so much anxiety and worry. And it’s all so unnecessary.
To me, cancelling Amazon Prime membership and a subscription to the WaPo is cutting your nose to spite your face. I realize ordering on Amazon has become a convenience that I’m not willing to give up. But I also acknowledge that it’s every person’s right to do as they please, and I’m not judging. But I have faith that the journalists will continue to do the work they do and I’m invested in it. I read a LOT at that site. It’s not the only place I get my news but it’s an important one.
Sherri my feelings about the election are similar. I’ve been told it’s not going to be a landslide, but I really think that VP Harris is going to be a clear winner and hopefully the Ugliest Person in the Universe is going to pay for his crimes very soon. My faith in the good people of America is not that easily shaken. I realize a huge swath of our country doesn’t support her, and it depresses me to think of all the damaged people there are around me here in Ohio, not to mention the rest of the country. The despair I feel so much is tempered by my belief that truth is going to win over lies, smart is going to win over dumb, and good will win over evil.
Two days in a row I slept only six and then five hours. The election is causing this despite my best attempts to keep worry at arm’s length. I get out and take in fresh air and sunshine, and I’m eating well. Sleep is elusive. As I type this TODAY has a story on about all the new security steps they’re taking to protect election workers, one of which is me. Maybe I’ll just accept the fact that I can sleep all damn day next Wednesday.
1994 chars
Deborah said on October 29, 2024 at 8:45 am
The thing I still question in the Bezos op-ed is why Blue Origin’s CEO would even be meeting with Trump. Bezos says he didn’t know about the meeting before it happened and that the Origin guy didn’t know ahead of time either. So why was the Blue Origin’s guy attending a drop everything meeting with Trump before the election?
334 chars
Dave said on October 29, 2024 at 10:50 am
We voted yesterday, it took us an hour from the time we got in line until we walked out the door. One of the workers told me that it had been like this since they opened at 7:30 AM. The only other early voting place in the county yesterday was at the county fairgrounds. We drove past and there was a long line outside, I read later that folks had been lined completely around the building earlier. This on a Monday afternoon and in an area that is not quite so red Indiana as most of it. One suspects our Ukrainian rep will be returned to office, though.
I read that 8% of Washington Post subscribers have canceled subscriptions. I did, with mixed feelings, if I quit everything that I don’t necessarily agree with, what is left? As other point out, you can’t really hurt Bezos or that more despicable Musk, but you can hurt the many folks who work for them, Dorothy’s daughter among the many. The person I really want to see hurt is that orange trash, not physically, but you know what I mean.
1006 chars
annie said on October 29, 2024 at 12:52 pm
I will not quit amazon — it’s a great convenience & works well for us. plus it employs over a million people. I certainly don’t blame people for canceling since I recognize all the evil it entails but we’re getting into “can’t listen to Wagner because he was a virulent antisemitic” territory.
298 chars
Julie Robinson said on October 29, 2024 at 1:29 pm
This is an issue where I see and respect both sides. We aren’t near many stores so we order frequently. I’m certainly not switching to Walmart’s service, and Target’s is quite limited. Not sure what else is out there.
We got home about 11 last night and I haven’t even unpacked, but I’m getting in the pool first. Tis my natal day and I can’t think of a better way to spend it.
380 chars
Deborah said on October 29, 2024 at 1:32 pm
Amazon was making me irritated the last few years anyway, so it wasn’t that hard to quit once I thought about it. One of the things I found exasperating is their search engine or what ever you call it. Whenever I put in a specific item I was looking for, like a specific brand, or a specific color, or a specific function etc, it would give me tons and tons of crap that I didn’t ask for in a million colors or sizes that I had to comb through for way too long, which of course was their goal so I would see things serendipitously and order them without thought. And they got paid by producers of various products to show their products first even if it wasn’t at all what you asked to see. A few times I never got what I ordered or something came broken. It was too convenient, maybe because I could find it on Amazon didn’t really mean I needed it, it was tempting me to buy junk. Yeah, that’s my own fault for not being disciplined enough to stop spontaneous purchases, but not having that service as a temptation is a good thing for me.
1040 chars
brian stouder said on October 29, 2024 at 1:33 pm
Ditto what Annie said! Some years ago, I was flabbergasted to learn about Henry Ford’s admiration/support/concurrence with the Original-Recipe Nazi-ism. Still, our family has a Ford (or two) in the fleet
205 chars
Joe Kobiela said on October 29, 2024 at 3:07 pm
Dang it, Terri Garr died so so funny in young Frankenstein and many other films.
Pilot Joe
91 chars
SusanG said on October 29, 2024 at 3:14 pm
A distraction and an inspiration. This video is lengthy, but well worth the watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA8YstuvDIA
127 chars
Colleen said on October 29, 2024 at 5:44 pm
Not gonna quit Amazon….too many instances of searching in vain locally for an item and being able to order it from Amazon and get it the next day.
I am alternating between excitement for the election and being terrified. Still queasy though…
248 chars
Sherri said on October 29, 2024 at 7:31 pm
I’m not canceling either WaPo or Prime. Behind every great fortune lies a great crime. I attended Carnegie Mellon, the university founded by Andrew Carnegie and added to by Andrew Mellon, both great malefactors of wealth. I’d rather advocate for tax policy that prevents great accumulation of wealth than try to impact things with consumer boycotts, but everyone has to pick their battles.
That said, losing 250K subscriptions in one fell swoop has to have an impact, but it’s not clear that it will have a good impact.
528 chars
David C said on October 29, 2024 at 8:24 pm
I felt better after reading this. I also remember we were told the WI Supreme Court election was neck and neck. Janet Protasiewicz won by 11 points. I’m not blowing up any balloons yet, but I’m feeling better.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-150731987
255 chars
Mark P said on October 30, 2024 at 12:43 am
A friend is doing Amazon reviews. She said not to trust any of them. They apparently pay for positive reviews, so she never submits negative reviews.
149 chars
Julie Robinson said on October 30, 2024 at 8:39 am
Aren’t they giving away the WaPo subscriptions, though? Every year when it’s supposed to go up, I say I’m cancelling, and am immediately offered $29 again.
So Bezos is probably losing money. Circulation numbers, though, used to be all-important for ad rates. That and the loss of prestige could be more painful to him than any monetary profit from subscriptions.
365 chars
Jeff Borden said on October 30, 2024 at 9:58 am
My wife and I spent two hours in line yesterday to vote early. The crush of the crowd was so great they brought in three more machines. A veteran poll worker told us she’s never seen this kind of turnout before. Clearly people are scared to death about this election. The sad thing? Our votes don’t count! Illinois will go big for Harris but it won’t matter because of the Electoral College. It doesn’t seem fair.
414 chars
alex said on October 30, 2024 at 10:48 am
Thanks for that link, David C.
I’m hesitant to cut ties with either the Washington Post or Amazon, but I’d be happy to cut my subscription price to the former as outlined above.
We’re having another toasty day here in Indiana, so I’m making a fabulous family dinner for one last al fresco dining experience this season. It’s a New York Times recipe for braised chicken in tarragon/mustard wine sauce that’s been modified by a food blogger and has gotten raves for its simplicity. Plus I have fresh tarragon from the garden. https://www.panningtheglobe.com/dijon-chicken-with-shallots/
591 chars