The 2016 US American Election Thread

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by accord1999

That could just be the lack of enthusiasm for the two candidates, compared with Obama.

If that's what you want to believe:

Unwittingly, perhaps, Republicans in North Carolina provided a natural experiment in their response to Woodhouse’s request that sheds some light on these dynamics. In all, 17 county plans reduced polling places or hours during the first week of early voting; others remained unchanged. That makes it possible to see the actual effects of those reductions on turnout. Alongside those 17 counties with first-week restrictions, I included counties identified in this report as having more than three fewer polling places than in 2012 for the entire duration of voting, and the three counties—Beaufort, Cumberland, and Moore—sued by the NAACP for voter-roll purges.

Although 2012 is an imperfect baseline, it does allow for comparisons between racial groups. In the counties marked as “suppressed” on the map, both black and white turnout suffered over the first week of early voting. But it rebounded after the first seven days, when counties were mandated to provide a full complement of voting sites. Black voters in those counties suffered the worst, with day 7 cumulative turnout only reaching 60 percent of the cumulative turnout at the same point in 2012. But white voters in those counties suffered too—notably at a worse rate relative to their unsuppressed counterparts than black voters—though they still managed to increase their vote share over the course of the first week. Voters in other counties did not see such sharp reductions over the first week, which is a rather clear indication that reducing the availability of polling locations and shortening their hours reduces turnout. The Republican scramble to restrict access to the polls at the last minute appears to have hurt white voters and black voters alike.

But turnout numbers for both black and white voters in these “rogue counties” did bounce back after the first week of voting, and both eventually caught up to turnout levels in other counties. This could be attributed to the considerable organizing effort in the second week of early voting by several groups, including the state NAACP, and to a surprisingly strong Republican turnout machine. But although white voters generally soared above 2012 early-voting numbers, in all counties black turnout appeared to reach a ceiling of around 90 percent of 2012’s results.

Though county-level efforts to suppress votes appear to have been ameliorated by organizing, activism, and a 10-day recovery period, that ceiling is what should concern Democrats in the state. While the state GOP’s celebratory press release about early-voting numbers cited a “crumbling and tired” state coalition and flagging black enthusiasm as reasons for this ceiling, it’s simply impossible to separate lower black early-voting turnout from the GOP’s three-year campaign to reduce turnout. That campaign was ostensibly halted by the Fourth Circuit Court’s decision, but it left voting-rights activists with only months to mobilize an electorate already facing barriers and conflicting information. And then, massive flooding from Hurricane Matthew set back those efforts.

[activeStick]

Certainly not final yet but it's increasingly pointing at a majority vote for the ideals and values that Trump had been voicing for the majority of Americans.

A sad state for the USA if this holds. The beginning of the end of a world super power.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by activeStick

Certainly not final yet but it's increasingly pointing at a majority vote for the ideals and values that Trump had been voicing for the majority of Americans.

A sad state for the USA if this holds. The beginning of the end of a world super power.

I'm in no way a Trump supporter, but it's over.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Minnie

Getting ready to go to the Democrats Abroad function tonight. I'm hoping to watch The Pantsuited POTUS in waiting beat the sentient Marmalade Septic Tank tonight. Went to the same event in 2012 and it was a great deal of fun. Taking the "nasty woman" that I raised along with me. I was a nasty woman a while ago and voted absentee.

How's the mood there?

[MikeN]

Originally Posted by activeStick

Certainly not final yet but it's increasingly pointing at a majority vote for the ideals and values that Trump had been voicing for the majority of Americans.

A sad state for the USA if this holds. The beginning of the end of a world super power.

Or he will surprise everyone and do the opposite.

Who knows, all I know is I am going to scoop up some USD in the next week when the USD drops like mad.

[puffnstuff]

Originally Posted by MikeN

Or he will surprise everyone and do the opposite.

Who knows, all I know is I am going to scoop up some USD in the next week when the USD drops like mad.

I bought gold yesterday. Figured it couldnt hurt. Didnt really think this would happen.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by MikeN

Or he will surprise everyone and do the opposite.



Who knows, all I know is I am going to scoop up some USD in the next week when the USD drops like mad.

Not so simple. CAD is getting hammered as well.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Everything but gold is pretty much getting hammered right now. Short trading week in the US and Canada throws an interesting wrinkle in.

[gargamel]

If being famous allowed him to grab women by the p****, just imagine what he'll be able to do as president.

Well done, America.


Idiots.

[alan21]

I should wake my kids and run for the hills. It's over people!!!

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by troutman

How's the mood there?

It was calm and collected throughout the time we were there but we weren't able to stay until the end. I have no idea how it played out. It was still early days when we left, so I imagine people were still hopeful.

There was one guy that came in that was a Trump supporter, had the MAGA hat on. Not American, but Albertan - he confirmed that to the news people who were trying to get him to talk on camera. He was still there when we left.

[Dion]

My brother phoned from Minneapolis and he is shocked with the results. He doesn't understand how Clinton could lose to a loser like Trump. I asked if he was going to move back home to Canada and Alberta in particular and there was a long pause followed by I better get some sleep. He was not a happy camper.

[N-E-B]

I don't want Americans who move here. If they're too fragile and weak to fix their own problems what makes you think they'll help us? I don't want a single American fleeing Trump. He's your problem. Deal with it.

That said, I doubt that will be a serious issue.

[Senator Clay Davis]

As long as all the Americans who wanna leave are wealthy, wealth producers and not whiny celebs (the good ones are welcome), I can get behind that kind of fleeing. But yeah otherwise they should be forced to work out their own mess.

[photon]

I guess we'll use the election PGT