Two ‘Puzzlements’
(with apologies to 'The King and I')
It puzzles me that the latest polls from Florida show Donald Trump with a slight lead over Kamala Harris, while State Constitutional Amendment Four, protecting abortion rights, has a majority of voters supporting it, although possibly not the required 60%.
Either one or both of these polling results are wrong, or else there are Trump supporters out there who also support making abortion rights part of the Florida Constitution, something that causes me to scratch my head. My conclusion is that it is time to ignore polls, even those that look good for those whom you support.
Another ‘puzzlement’ is why many in the military, and veterans as well, still support Donald Trump despite his repeatedly disparaging them. For example, he has been severely criticized by former Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff, Generals Mark Milley and John Kelly, a former Marine Commandant as well. Yet many male voters in the Armed Forces, even those of color, alarmed by the support Kamala Harris is receiving, are comfortable with Trump's artificial 'machismo.'
But draft-dodger Trump’s statements speak for themselves. Check out his preferences for Hitler’s more obedient generals and his dissatisfaction with soldiers who get wounded or get taken prisoner by an enemy, and his comments on the late John McCain. Trump represents the opposite of patriotism. Is it going too far to say that he is not a loyal American?
Kelly has said that in his opinion, ‘Mr. Trump met the definition of a fascist, would govern like a dictator if allowed, and had no understanding of the Constitution or the concept of rule of law.’
That, from Kelly, a former Trump White House Chief of Staff who worked daily with Trump during his tenure in the White House, should be enough to turn off voters other than those whose minds have been permanently altered by some kind of poison impregnated into the fabric of their MAGA caps!
But why do Marines and other military today (go ask one) still mostly support Trump? I suspect that it is because those in the Armed Forces are trained to unquestionably accept orders given to them and mistakenly apply that to voting as civilians as well. It is time that America be made aware that patriotism is not the sole possession of the Trumpian liars. And too many in uniform (and veterans) still think it’s acceptable to follow Donald Trump until he orders them not to, not even accepting the fact that Joe Biden has been president since 2021, having won the 2020 election.
Again, ignore the polls and in these last few days before the Election, get out there to actively work for those whose positions on real issues are those to which you also subscribe. And convince others to do the same!
JL
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Need a Lift to Be Able to Vote?
Those who have taken advantage of early voting or voting by mail where available have done their thing. It’s now up to those who will show up at their polling location on the first Tuesday in November and cast their vote in person.
If you know of anyone who might not be able to do so for physical reasons, offer to give them a lift to their voting location!
For those who are registered to vote in my community, Cascade Lakes in Boynton Beach, Florida, I am willing to do so. My phone number is (561) 676 4924.
JL
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An Election Result Determined by Hairdressers?
This is going to be a close election. A few votes in a ‘battleground’ State such as Pennsylvania or Michigan can determine who will be the next president of the United States. Therefore, those who run political campaigns should discourage anything that might cause even just those few votes to be lost. They could be the ones needed to reach the magic number of 270 electoral votes. Little Things Can Mean a Lot!
Those who take political positions, report on them, or support them, should consider their appearance. Outlandish hair styles, that have nothing to do with a political position, can turn off a voter. Little Things Can Mean a Lot!
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| Juanita Tolliver |
I am reminded of that when I see Juanita Tolliver reporting on MSNBC.
There will be those who are not bothered by her occasionally extremist coiffure, with 90% of her hair cascading like Niagara Falls to the left, but there will be some who will be turned off by it, taking it as going a bit too far and a tacit endorsement of an extreme progressive position, and end up voting for Republicans. I hope those who can speak to her about it will do so … and quickly! Little Things Can Mean a Lot!
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And Juanita Tolliver isn’t the only one to which this applies. While the words spoken by Mollie Jong-Fast (In Vanity Fair and on MSNBC) might be inspirational, having
three-colored hair is going to cause some voters to ignore what she is saying, and conceivably lose votes for Democrats in crucial States.
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| Mollie Jong-Fast |
In close elections, looking like an extremist can scare away those uncommitted, middle-of-the road voters essential to a victory. Little Things Can Mean a Lot!
JL
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Presidential Election Result Unpredictable Due to Founding Fathers’ Fears
THE RESULT OF THIS ELECTION IS UNPREDICTABLE, DEPENDENT ON WHAT TRIFLING OCCURANCE MIGHT TAKE PLACE IN ANY ONE OF THE 'BATTLEGROUND' STATES, tipping that State’s electoral votes toward the 270 needed for one candidate to win the presidency. Winning a State by one vote is equal to a landslide in terms of securing all a State’s electoral votes (except in Maine and Nebraska).
This will be a permanent problem so long as we are saddled with the Electoral College, the relic of the Founding Fathers' not having full trust in democracy.
The nation’s long-term plan should be to get rid of the Electoral College via a Constitutional Amendment. This will not occur in our lifetimes nor in those of our children and is complicated by the Constitution’s providing two Senators for every State, regardless of population, another manifestation of the trepidation with which the Founding Fathers viewed the new nation’s democratic experiment back in 1789.
JL
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Stupidity Versus Ignorance
Some people feel that those with whom they disagree politically are stupid. Some may be, and unfortunately, nothing can be done to remedy stupidity. Trying to correct it is a waste of time.
Often, however, what appears to be stupidity is merely ignorance, something that can be remedied by a healthy dose of truth. That's why we have 'fact checkers' and why everyone should be very careful not to believe everything presented as being factual.
It's too late in the game to try to cure some voters' ignorance before November 5 (that's a long term assignment), but it is not too late to make sure that everyone who recognizes the political, economic, and social truths that govern the reality in which we live casts their votes on November 5. That includes you and those whom you might influence.
JL
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Housekeeping on Jackspotpourri
Forwarding Postings: Please forward this posting to anyone you think might benefit from reading it (Friends, relatives, enemies, etc.) If you want to send someone the blog, you can just tell them to check it out by visiting https://jackspotpourri.blogspot.com or you can provide a link to that address in your email to them. There’s another, perhaps easier, method of forwarding it though!
Google Blogspot, the platform on which Jackspotpourri is prepared, makes that possible. If you click on the tiny envelope with the arrow at the bottom of every posting, you will have the opportunity to list up to ten email addresses to which that blog posting will be forwarded, along with a brief comment from you. Each will receive a link to click on that will directly connect them to the blog.
Either way will work, sending them the link to https://jackspotpourri.blogspot.com, or clicking on the envelope at the bottom of this posting.
Email Alerts: If you are NOT receiving emails from me alerting you each time there is a new posting on Jackspotpourri, just send me your email address and we’ll see that you do. And if you are forwarding a posting to someone, you might suggest that they do the same, so they will be similarly alerted. You can pass those email addresses to me by email at jacklippman18@gmail.com.
Again, I urge you to forward this posting to anyone you think might benefit from reading it, particularly if they are a registered voter. Just a bit over a week remains until Election Day.
Spread the word.
JL
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