Posted in Poetry, Politics, tagged election 2024, election day, modern poetry, Poetry on 04 Nov 2024| Leave a Comment »
Stop the clocks
There is no point in watching
Time slows and thickens
Honey left too long
On the shelf
Crystalline
Opaque
The decision approaches
The nation argues
A fractious couple at a deserted crossroads
Without signposts or map
Not knowing
This way or that
Ahead or back
Only that here is not where
They want to be
Posted in Politics, tagged election 2024, harris, mail-in voting, presidential campaign, Trump, vance, voting, walz on 17 Oct 2024| Leave a Comment »
We are living within the margin of error, that mind-bending pseudo-Schrödingerian space where two things are simultaneously true: Trump is leading in the polls and Harris is leading in the polls. In a normal general election year, by this time—with fewer than 500 hours between now and election day—we passed through this phase a while back and are now in the mad dash to the finish line; the trailing candidate is doing everything possible to gain on the leader, and the much ballyhooed “October surprise” waits in the wings, preparing to strike. (Or not.)
This is not a normal general election year.
As baffled as I am that, with these two candidates and at this late point in the contest, the race is still so close, I have to understand that supporters of the opposition are most likely just as baffled. How could I possibly support a communist-fascist-socialist-Marxist radical-left-liberal who welcomes foreign murderers and rapists into our country and hands them cash and a ballot? How can I possibly want to elect such a person to the presidency?
I have similar questions about those who support the opposition.
One thing I try to remember, though, is this: supporters of the opposition do not hate this nation. They don’t. (Okay, a few probably do, but not many.) So their support of the opposition must come from a desire to better the nation that they love. Given that, we should be able to sit down and discuss our differing views on what in this nation can be improved, and how.
But we can’t, and we can’t because the discussion space has become so polluted with falsehoods that our two sides cannot even agree on what is true, what is factual, what is real.
“All politicians lie,” is the old adage, and to an extent it is true. Politicians may fudge the numbers to support their argument or leave out a salient fact that weakens their case, but there’s a big difference between picking the rosiest statistical outcome to support an economic agenda and telling outright (and completely disprovable) lies about conditions and populations in the country, fabrications designed not to bolster a policy stance but to sow division. distrust, and fear of “the other” among supporters. Sadly, once these emotionally manipulative lies have taken hold, it is not possible to counter them with the truth, as the truth, facts, and expertise have become irrelevant.
I don’t have solutions to this problem, and certainly nothing that could make a difference before Nov 5, but what I can do is assure you that if you’re feeling anxious, nervous, or desperate about the outcome of this election, you are definitely not alone. Many, many people are feeling the same, and we’re all probably getting a bit snippy because of it.
So let’s try to be patient and kind with each other, and if we discuss politics, let’s approach the discussions with the knowledge that we’re all on edge and emotions are riding high.
And vote. Vote early if you can, and if you can’t, make a plan as to how to cast your ballot and when.
It’s important.
Posted in Culture, Politics, tagged agenda 47, down ballot, election 2024, harris, politics, presidential campaign, presidential politics, project 2025, Trump, vance, walz on 21 Sep 2024| Leave a Comment »
Early voting began yesterday in three U.S. states, which means we are in the final stretch of America’s 2024 presidential election. (Finally!) It also means that for the next six weeks we’re going to be inundated with adverts, texts, mailers, flyers, and door-knockers.
By now, most people have made up their mind, and frankly, if you’ve already decided on voting for Trump, I’ve got nothing for you; thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you next time. However, about 5–6% of Americans are still on the fence, trying to decide either between the candidates, or between voting and staying home.
First, please please please commit to voting on November 5. It is so important that you exercise this power. You can go to Vote.gov to find out if your voter registration is current and/or how to register if you’ve been purged from the rolls. Even if you do not live in one of the critical “swing” states, you still have Senate, House, and state races that are critical to the success of your candidate and the agenda you support.
One of the most common concerns folks express about Harris is that they don’t know enough about her, and don’t know where she stands on the issues. With her having been thrust into the race so late in the game, this is a legitimate concern. We didn’t have a year-long primary to learn these things, and she’s been playing catch-up. However, the information has been coming out, and I encourage anyone still unsure about Harris to explore her positions on the issues—such as the economy, taxes, health care, education, reproductive freedom, climate crisis, civil rights, immigration, gun violence, and foreign policy—and compare them to Trump’s†.
Last point: There has been a lot of activity in state election boards (and in campaign rhetoric from the GOP) that has laid the groundwork for specious challenges to the outcome of the election. If the vote tallies are close, we’re going to see a tsunami of delays, lawsuits, and chaos surrounding demands for recounts and refusals to certify results. To counter this, progressive-leaning voters need to come out in record numbers, to increase that margin of victory (yes, even in reliably blue states), so there can be no doubt as to the outcome.
To me, the choice has always been clear, but I understand that such is not the case for everyone. In my mind, an even temperament and a willingness to compromise are two hallmarks of a successful presidency. Next to those, I look for an agenda that is geared toward helping middle and lower income households, because that is what a society is supposed to do: help those who need help, not those who already have it made.
Harris isn’t a perfect candidate—I’m sure everyone will find one of her policies that rankles—but comparing the two candidates, comparing their respective agendas, and comparing their approaches to governing, I find the GOP candidates terribly lacking. The politics of division and denigration—of women, of minorities, of legal immigrants, of the childless, of the non-Christian and non-hetero and non-cisgender—that is no way to govern a society that is as complex and multi-layered as ours. It is a bleak and hostile view of our nation, its history, and its people, and it deserves to be soundly rejected.
Thanks for stopping by. I’ll put away my soapbox, now.
Remember to check your registration and make a voting plan!
k
† You can find Trump’s issue statements either as part of his series of Agenda 47 videos, or see many of them described in Project 2025. (Though Trump has denied any connection to that project, it was authored by many of his former staff and its elements are strongly echoed in his rhetoric.)
Posted in Culture, Politics, tagged democracy, harris walz, hope, joy, kamala, politics, presidential campaign, Trump, trump vance on 29 Aug 2024| Leave a Comment »
Walter Wofford’s sculpture of Harriet Tubman as the “Beacon of Hope,” installed at Lake Placid, NY
Enterprise photo — Delainey Muscato
Hope and I have had a long and complicated relationship, one punctuated by frustration, despair, anger, and (occasionally) joy.
For many, Hope is an emotion of wishes and prayers, of what-might-be‘s and wouldn’t-it-be-nice‘s. Hope personified, for such folks, is often depicted as angelic or maternal, protective and supporting. Sweet, embracing, serene.
Not for me. My relationship with Hope has usually been adversarial. Many times, I—having striven toward a goal with zero success—have fallen into the shadowed abyss of anguish and surrendered myself to failure. It is at such times that Hope (damnable Hope) has ridden onto the stage clad in armor, grabbed me by the scruff, and thrust me forward once more unto the breach. For me, Hope is not a thing of winged feathers and soft, motherly caresses but, as musician/writer/actor Nick Cave described it in Issue #190 of The Red Hand Files, Hope is “the warrior emotion that can lay waste to cynicism.” Hope is the creature of sharp insistence, unseen kindnesses, and the whispered encouragement of ultimate victory.
In the last ten years, I have often felt despair. I’ve felt it for most of that time. It has been a harsh, brutal, sorrowful decade, both personally and (more consequentially) on a global scale. Politically, Hope has become a stranger to me, as my nation fell into a vortex of recrimination, grievance, division, and blatant partisanship.
But then something happened. About six weeks ago, our president (bless him), seeing the trend-lines and poll numbers auguring his defeat, decided to bow out and pass the torch.
It was then that Hope—the Warrior Emotion—woke from her slumber, shook the dust of years from off her armor, and sounded the call.
Hope is not heavy-handed. Hope does not have to bash us over the head to get her point across.
Hope is the hand on the shoulder, the confident smile, the steely gaze and the wink. Rather than a wouldn’t-it-be-nice, Hope is the we’ve-got-this.
As the scales fall from our eyes and we see the right-wing contenders for what they are, as we learn of their vision for our future, and as we read what it is that they intend to do should they be returned to power, Hope exhorts us once again to rise, to stand, to speak out, and to vote for a future that benefits us all, rather than just the privileged few and the people who look, love, and think as they do.
For the first time in a very long time, I am filled with Hope, eager to instill that Hope in others, and willing to believe that, this time, we might have a real Hope of success.
k
Posted in Culture, Politics, tagged be prepared, get out the vote, PSA, vote, voter registration, voting, voting plan on 24 Aug 2024| Leave a Comment »
Summer is winding down, and it’s a year divisible by four, so you know what that means. It’s Voting Season!
I know, I know; it seems like Voting Season began in 2022, and if you’re like me, then the last month seemed like a year all on its own, but for most people—no judgement here, seriously—for most people Voting Season 2024 hasn’t even begun yet.
A large chunk of the electorate doesn’t pay attention to the general election until after Labor Day. Totally understandable. Life takes time. Life takes energy and focus. Work, kids, errands, chores, keeping the household humming along, paying the bills, all that; who has time to spend on conventions and rallies and punditry?
But we’re here now. Labor Day is—[checks calendar]—next weekend, and in some states, early voting begins around the 20th of September (yes, really, 46 days prior! I checked it twice.).
Here’s the thing, though. Some states have been cleaning up their voter rolls, purging the registrations of those who may not have voted in a while. That means you may not be currently registered to vote. Re-registering may take some time, depending on your state, so lead-time can be important.
I ask, then, that you take a few minutes and go to Vote.gov, a government voter registration portal that can direct you to your state’s voter registration website. Just select the state in which you vote, and look for the “How to check your voter registration” heading. That’ll take you to your state’s website where you can make sure your voter registration is current (or, if it isn’t, they’ll tell you how you can register to vote). You don’t have to sign in or anything; my state’s website (Washington) just needed my name and birth-date to confirm that my registration is current.
There is a lot of other information at these sites, too, like if you need to update your name or address, or if you need to know about registration deadlines or voting methods/locations in your state.
So please, make sure you are registered to vote, and then make a voting plan (about how you’re going to vote, when you’re going to vote, how you’re going to get to the polling place, what ID you might need to bring, etc.).
Regardless of who you want to be your president, senator, representative, and state and local officials, many of the races are going to be close. The outcome may come down to a few dozen votes in each precinct, so your vote counts! Make sure you’re registered so you can cast it.
Thanks, all.
k
Posted in Gaming, tagged bbb, bethesda, better business bureau, chronomark, constellation edition, fallout, first adopter, skyrim, starfield, video games, watch on 12 Aug 2024| Leave a Comment »
One of my standard rules is:
Do not spend more time fixing something than your time is worth.
In other words, I won’t spend a couple of hours on the phone to get a $5 overcharge fixed. It’s literally not worth my time.
Of course, that’s harder to quantify now that I’m retired, but when I was working as a senior software analyst/developer/project manager, I frequently let the small stuff slide. After all, people make mistakes, and if I bought an $8 item that turned out not to be exactly as described, it was easier just to take the loss and buy another item that did meet my specs.
There have been exceptions, however, and for the last ten months, I’ve been making one.
TL;DR: Never underestimate the power of doggedness, and do not dismiss something that it wouldn’t hurt to try.
It began in November 2023, when I bought myself a birthday present.
Posted in Culture, Politics, tagged campaign, democrat agenda, election 2024, gop agenda, politics, presidential debate, presidential politics, project 2025, third-party, voting on 28 Jun 2024| Leave a Comment »
Well, that was a bloody disaster.
I’m talking, of course, about last night’s “debate” between Biden and Trump. While Trump played the usual bloviating, grievance-fueled prevaricator who couldn’t manage to actually address 90% of the questions put to him, Biden’s performance was—there’s no way to sugar-coat it—feeble, stumbling, and unfocused.
While I don’t see the event as having helped either candidate, I know it hurt Biden, and that pumps up my already elevated cortisol levels into the red.
Democrats are in freak-out mode, and I am not about to attempt a prediction as to how this will play out. What I do want to do is throw a lifeline to those who are understandably concerned, who like neither of the candidates, and who are genuinely worried about the GOP’s right-hand trend toward lawless autocracy and unabashed theocracy.
We must, as a good friend of mine said, change the narrative.
Here’s my suggestion of how we can do this.
American politics took a wrong turn back when voters began to use the “Who would you rather have a beer with?” metric for deciding on a candidate. It was arguably the first misstep that put us on the path to where we are today, where we vote solely on who the candidate is (or appears to be), and not how they will govern. This is a critical distinction, as the person who is president is much less important than the agenda that person brings into office.
So, if you’ll indulge me, let’s do a little thought experiment. Take the candidates out of the equation—no Trump, and no Biden—and compare just the agenda that each major party is working toward. This is actually an easy thing to do as both parties have manifestos and a track record.
————
For the GOP, one need look no further than Project 2025. This 900+ page roadmap is the product of The Heritage Foundation, a highly influential ultra-conservative think tank that has been fighting against reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, civil rights, and climate change for decades. Aiding and abetting this project are over a hundred other right-wing groups such as Stephen Miller’s (he of the “family separation” immigration policy) America First Legal, and the book-banning, racism-denying Moms for Liberty. While Project 2025 is not officially the platform of the GOP’s campaigns, we hear them use its talking points in their rhetoric, see the actions they’ve already taken in support of it, and read about the steps they are taking toward a fuller implementation of its goals.
It’s impossible to accurately summarize this incredibly broad-based agenda, but let’s at least point to a few examples of where they’re going:
These are highlights only, and do not paint a complete picture, as we also need to keep in mind that the GOP talks openly about more tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy and corporations, about eliminating the ACA that provides healthcare for millions, and about letting Putin and Russia do “whatever the hell they want” and walk all over Ukraine (and wherever they want to go next).
————
On the Democrat side, it’s pretty much the opposite: religion has no place in government, climate change is real and must be combated, reproductive rights are essential healthcare, prescription drugs should be cheaper for everyone, and America is stronger because of our diversity.
In addition, the Democrats:
————
Regardless of who is at the top of the ticket, these are the agendas, and one will win in November.
My vote will go toward the Democrat’s agenda, up and down the ticket, because:
There’s a lot at stake this election. We’re reaching a fever pitch and the results will shape our nation for decades.
One of these agendas will win, come November, and we don’t have the luxury of letting others decide for us.
If you’ve read this far, I thank you for your indulgence, and I greatly appreciate your time and attention.
k
Kurt R.A. Giambastiani 