Everybody’s freaking out again, and we’ll see how all this shakes out, but… waivers and favors, baby. Waivers and favors.
Kind of amazing to me that 30% of eligible Americans actively voted for this while another 30% said, “whatever y’all decide, it’s fine with me,” but whatever… đ€·ââïž
https://data4democracy.substack.com/p/does-higher-turnout-now-help-republicans
«Registered Democrats made up a much larger share of non-voters (15.2 million or 38.8%) than registered Republicans (7.7 million or 19.6%), with Independents/Other affiliations constituting the largest group (16.3 million or 41.6%). This means that nearly twice as many Democrats as Republicans sat out the electionâa stark contrast to claims that increased turnout would benefit Republicans.»
…
«The data reveals that Republicans consistently turn out at higher rates than Democratsâoften by substantial marginsâregardless of which sample definition we use.»
…
«These findings run counter to claims that higher turnout would benefit Republicans. While 2024 patterns may differ from previous cycles, the historical evidence is clear: across multiple recent elections, non-voters have maintained a consistent and substantial Democratic leanâoften by substantial margins.
We’ll have more definitive evidence when the 2024 CCES data is released, but the existing survey data provides no support for the narrative that non-voters now favor Republicans.»
So, voter suppression remains the name of the game.
«One reason to be concerned about embracing the narrative that increased turnout hurts Democrats is that it would discourage the party from adopting the vocally pro-voting messaging that helped fuel their success in the 2018 midterms. In that election, Democrats successfully mobilized their lower-propensity voters, achieving extraordinary turnout for a midterm electionâeven as measures of ideology showed Democratic candidates as a group veering to the left.»
…
«Ultimately, this debate will be settled by data, not theory. When the 2024 CCES results become available, we’ll be able to directly test whether non-voters have indeed shifted toward Republicans as dramatically as Shor suggests.
For now, the evidence from voter files and recent survey data points to a different conclusion: Democrats’ primary challenge isn’t that high turnout inherently favors Republicans, but that they’re consistently losing the mobilization battle with their own registered supporters.»
«âWhy are you looking at me?â Dirk said. âAre you sayingââ
âHeâs not saying anything to you, Navy. Relax,â Ana said, spooning the last of his tray into his mouth. âHeâs not saying you canât do two things at once.â
âOkay,â Dirk said.
âWatching your landings, you canât even do one thing at once. Weâd all be happy if you could get that worked out.â
âMy landings areââ
âHorrifying,â Lee said.
âUnskilled,â Gavin said.
âSickening,â Dena said.
âGreat fun. Exciting,â Scruggs said.»
đ
*”Imperial Mercenary: Decline and Fall of the Galactic Empire Book 3″* by Andrew Moriarty.
https://wapo.st/4c8CGcZ (gift)
Here we go. Direct assault.
Where are the Republicans decrying “imperial presidency”?
This article is a year old, but according to Red State and the right-wing mediasphere, this person has been sent back to Venezuela and they’re very happy about it.
I was absolutely not kidding about museums:
«The order he signed behind closed doors puts Vice President JD Vance, who serves on the Smithsonian Institutionâs Board of Regents, in charge of overseeing efforts to âremove improper ideologyâ from all areas of the institution, including its museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo.»
https://www.wired.com/story/doge-rebuild-social-security-administration-cobol-benefits/
đł
60 million lines of COBOL.
Perfect. Big Balls and AI. What could go wrong?
«They once again were making it clear they were going to send us home with no help – so my boyfriend blocked the door and said he was NOT taking me home until they ran additional tests. He had to use his large physical presence to get attention – he got loud and said âif I take her home sheâs going to die.â They threatened to call security but he held his ground and said they could call whoever they wanted – we werenât leaving without tests.
This tactic may not be safe for everyone. We were fortunate that this occurred in Canada and that he was white⊠the situation never escalated to physical violence. It absolutely could have and Iâm grateful every day that it didnât. They did threaten to call the police for âtrespassingâ but he sternly told them that if they did that he would tell the police that they had been refusing me even the most basic of tests.
Thankfully – a doctor overheard the exchange and finally came to see me. At this point we had only seen nurses and security guards. This doctor took one look at me – pale, sweaty, breathless and curled up in the fetal position – and immediately ordered an ultrasound and extensive lab work.
As soon as the ultrasound and blood work came back I was being injected with high doses of IV antibiotics, pain medication and rushed for a CT scan. I had a flurry of doctors and nurses around me and most looked panicked. It turns out they saw a large shadow on the scan that indicated either a perforated bowel or abscess and my blood work showed I had a life threatening infection and needed another round of blood transfusions.
It had become so serious that the hospital we were at couldnât even treat me – and I had to be transported to a larger hospital nearby.»
https://www.disabledginger.com/p/my-most-dangerous-er-experience-and
I just kind of skimmed until I got to that part. đź
So, this was years ago, but even so: you’d think if somebody had been to the ER four times after surgery with complaints but no tests, they’d run a test. Patients need advocates, I guess.
Here, Read This 