Republican Strategy that Worked (sort of)

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

Liberal think tank and their stuff...but Warren Beatty made a decent movie back with Bonnie and Clyde. Just change the characters to Hillary and VP (what was that guy's name?)

And, hey, money from Ted Turner, Barb Streisand, etc.

But, free marketplace of ideas. I may like one or two of theirs.

[William Thornton]

Yeah: "...along with Hillary's missteps..." sayeth the retired rocket scientist. Bit of an understatement.

You had a winner in Bernie but Hillary's machine buried the hapless socialist who pulled up lame when he could have gone for the jugular (pardon the mixed metaphors). Then you liked Stein who didn't carry a county in the entire nation but has enough gall or nose for self-serving publicity and fundraising that she challenges the election.

What a great country! There's plenty of entertainment value in this election to last the rest of both our lives.

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

I'm sloughing off. May take a while to find an idea of theirs that I like. Since almost all of your stuff (all?) comes from a few liberal sources, I chased down these excerpts. Political views of entertainers like Beatty and Streisand are throwaway items, save for the president elect's. His count for obvious reasons.

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

Right. Got it. In the technocracy, people like you rule. In a democratic republic sometimes the faculty lounge experts don't rule.

[KeithE]

Now back to the thesis that Republicans sabotaged this election by preventing Obama’s jobs bills from becoming reality.

I know William does not buy that. How about others?

[William Thornton]

Here's your problem, Keith, and it is typical. The question about strategy working for Repubs isn't answered by your data. It's not like measuring an ABM target or the ambient air temperature. The role of the federal gummit in the economy isn't certain. There are many variables. The lib think tank may provide a valuable service but stringing together data, subjectively applying it, presuming results doesn't settle the question nor conclusion. Anytime you get into economics you have a few go-to sources. Opposing view have theirs. The "dismal science." Stick to hard science. Even with GW, it's part data, part projections through complex models, some predicting far into the future. Then use that to make gummit policy for one country with limited control over a fraction of the variables. It's a loser for you but go ahead and save the planet.

Hil, as Kellyanne Conway said, maybe just didn't connect with voters whose votes she could not do without and get the number of electoral votes. Obama had his shot. Let's see how much of what he did sticks.

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

Ignore me if you wish. I'll continue to comment as I see fit.

[Sandy]

[William Thornton]

Haven't Dems run on the platform of obstructionism for all of Obama's terms? Seems fitting to base their defeat on it.

[Sandy]

Did the Republicans actually earn more votes this cycle? They certainly didn't gain in the Presidential totals, and they lost the total congressional vote by about 4%. The total electorate was smaller this time around. Did it really work? People are clearly tired of it, so it might not be a good idea for the Democrats to take that approach. If they're patient, and the Trump administration really turns out to be as inept as the transition its making, they'll have control of Congress again in 2018, if there's anything left to get back.

[William Thornton]

Then it's onward to 2018.

Who knows? The GOP might get a shellacking. Pelosi is just the person to lead the charge.

[Stephen Fox]

She couldn't believe it herself all those counties she "flipped" in the heartland.

William had some kind words to say re my latest Collinsville Drama but his political analysis is as off as ever. Nothing to be proud of in the way Trump won this election. It says something sad about the country that the showman beat the woman with substance.

Hillary grates on me often, and the elitist set rubs people the wrong way. Still she held the high ground of meritocracy even if there was something that smelled about the Clinton foundation and how she has embraced the world of the Ivy League and the sophisticates at the expense of the folks she came from in her Methodist church in Chicago.

But I remain convinced she did not succumb as much to the world of elites as potrayed.

Hoschild's explanation in her nat book award nominee book Trumps Willie Tee analysis; and the two conversations I highlight today in my latest blog were much more the cause of Hillary's defeat than Hillary herself.

She was flawed but worthy.

Read my blog and follow through on the recommendations.

[Dave Roberts]

When I look at the security of the electoral process, I realize that the failure in most local governments is to provide strong support for the electoral registrar's office. It the country where I live, there is one full-time employee in the registrar's office. While the number swells the week of an election, the people are all temps at the polls and overseeing the process. (There is also only one employee in the city in the center of our county.) Most of the registrars have received older computers retired from other offices to keep voter rolls. Even voter ID laws are poorly enforced, and those in polling places have only limited training on how to handle provisional ballots. The system is decentralized, as it should be, but every locality determines how to operate, what kind of ballots or machines to use, and who will be their temporary employees for the polling stations. By the way, in VA they barely collect minimum wage on election day.

[Haruo]