Elective Thinking After the Fact

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Top photo by Tim Forkes

I am not much of a prognosticator. It goes back to when I made the mistake of picking Michigan to beat Washington or Washington State in the Rose Bowl when I was in high school. Michigan, as a college sports power, has been dead to me ever since.

Outside the sporting world, my powers of selecting what will play out are not much better. I’m not sure who I picked to have shot JR, but I know I was wrong. I still can’t believe Bo Derek was not given a lifetime achievement award after her film

Bolero. I never thought rap music would last longer than disco or punk. Mostly, I am still reeling from betting wrong on Jerry Ford beating Jimmy Carter the first time I voted.

Clearly, I do not get the American frame of mind. So rather than making predictions about a Biden presidency or post White House life for Mr. Trump, I figured I would just share a few things that have bothered me, come to my attention, or popped into my head in the middle of the night.

1. The Electoral College: I am tired of hearing about how outdated it is to rely on the electoral college to determine who our next president is. A day has not passed for over a year where I have not read a post claiming it needs to be abolished. It’s been a thorn in the side of Democrats for 20 years and all they can say is it needs to be abolished. Believe it or not, it takes work, time, and money to make this happen so my suggestion is put up or shut up. If all a party can do is whine about something for 20 years that can be changed, then I question their work ethic.
2. It was rigged: So, say Trump and his supporters about the election. My question is, if it was rigged, why did Democrats lose seats in the house and not win back the Senate? It is possible Democrats don’t know how to rig a system as well as Republicans. However, I think the election result was more the nation rejecting Donny boy than anything else.
3. Mail-in Ballots: Why is it Trump supporters believe mail-in ballots led to voter fraud but are fine with their leader mailing in his vote? Do these people ever stop to think about the fact they worship a walking talking contradiction?
4. Voter Suppression: Here is all anyone really needs to know about our two political parties. One believes in making it easier for all eligible citizens to cast a ballot, especially during a pandemic, while the other builds a strategy around preventing easier, safer, and healthier voting. One method expands democracy and the other results in an orange-colored guy trying to steal an election.
5. Dems Take People for Granted: As our culture changes and we broaden opportunities for more minority groups, Democrats think these groups will remain loyal to them. Assuming you have someone’s vote because of something you once did for a group is dangerous because it results in complacency. In the coming years, as more people of color and fringe backgrounds attain the American dream, their wants and expectations from leaders will change. Democrats got lazy here and as a result, they came up short of their expectations at the legislative levels.
6. Maybe Two Countries Is Best: The idea that we are headed for another Civil War is ridiculous. Americans are too lazy to go off to war which is why our military relies more on drones, missiles, and bombs that can kill plenty of bad guys without the need for boots on the ground. Let Trump run a nation of fools who come from states like Kentucky where the people there forget how much in federal money they receive, thanks to all the federal taxes paid by states like California and New York. Who are Trumpsters going to hate inside their borders when all they have are like-minded bigots, finger pointers, and backward thinking citizens? They’ll turn on their own in no time.
7. Is There an App?: Unless there is an app that allows all parties involved to play out a virtual civil war, we can’t be bothered with one. In that way, it’s a lot like abolishing the Electoral College.
8. Numbers Don’t Lie: A record number of voters cast a ballot at a time when each day a new record is set for COVID-19 diagnosis. I’m thinking there is a connection.
9.   7 Trump in 24’: Why not? He will be the same age Joe Biden currently is and probably another 50 pounds heavier which should make him more attractive to people who are turned on by obese turtles lying on their backs. Will he campaign entirely via Twitter from his prison cell or from a penthouse suite in a Moscow hotel?
10. Biden in 24’?: Joe will be 82 and at some point, his age will become a detriment. If he decides to be a one term president, will Democrats embrace Biden handing off the reins of power to Kamala Harris or will they shoot themselves in the foot and hand the country back over to a Republican nut job? Trump, Trump Jr., Cruz, Pence, and Little Marco are just some of the nuts hoping Democrats are their own worst enemy in four years.
11. Vote Counting: This ties in with voter suppression. When one party insists on not having all votes counted, it is only because they failed to prevent, discourage, or pay off people from voting.
12. Christian Conservatives: Sorry for the oxymoron, but I did not come up with this label. People who call themselves Christian are not the same as people who live a Christian life. It’s like waving the flag and claiming to be American while insisting on limiting who gets to vote. George Costanza may have said, “It’s not a lie if you believe it,” but the rest of the nation is calling BS on this nonsense.
13. Mitch: Mitch McConnell does not love this country and all it has stood for as much as he loves the power he holds and the wealth it brings him and his wife. He is more of a traitor than a problem solver.
14. Nancy: No one worked harder at going toe to toe with agent Orange the last four years than Nancy Pelosi. Unfortunately, she has some explaining to do to her own party after the poor showing in the House elections.
15. New Song Lyrics: “This land is your land, This land is my land. We’ve drawn a red and blue line, in the dirt and sand.” What can I say?  It is a work in progress.
16. Headache: All I have after this election is a big headache which has led me to wonder something. Do dogs get headaches?  My five seem completely unaffected by all of this and again have succeeded in making me wish I had four legs.

Hey, let’s do this again in another four years. Until then, I must think about what went wrong with Kanye’s campaign.

James Moore

Jim is a life long resident of California and retired school teacher with 30 years in public education. Jim earned his BA in History from CSU Chico in 1981 and his MA in Education from Azusa Pacific University in 1994. He is also the author of Teaching The Teacher: Lessons Learned From Teaching. Jim considers himself an equal opportunity pain in the ass to any political party, group, or individual who looks to profit off of hypocrisy. When he is not pointing out the conflicting words and actions of our leaders, the NFL commissioner, or humans in general, he can be found riding his bike for hours on end while pondering his next article. Jim recently moved to Camarillo, CA after being convinced to join the witness protection program.