Yes, I spent too much of my morning workout time talking about the recent election with people on the internet. And some of the conversation is heated.
But as far as the workout: 3 mile commuter walk over lunch. The weights: pull ups (2 sets of “10”(sloppy)), 6 sets of 5,
bench: 10 x 134, 3 sets of 5 x 134 on the incline. These felt fine but I did NOT have a 6’th rep in me.
Now to the election: I am very different than those I hang around. When I go back and think about it, I wonder: what went wrong? Why were Democrats rejected and Trump accepted? Now in the swing states, Ds did win some downticket races. But nationally, we got blistered.
Typical of the liberal I see: they go on about how immoral the Trump campaign was and how awful he is.
Me: expect a shark to be a shark. I can’t do anything about a shark’s nature, but I can learn how to beat the shark. And THAT is what I want from my political leaders. It is a football (or a war) approach: how do we win?
And, well, the recently college educated are sorely unequipped for this battle.
Show this on a college campus and faculty would get the vapors. But THIS is the political world we live in and we have to know how to counter this crap. BTW, these sex changes were taking place when TRUMP was president, but never mind that…
And, even worse, many liberals have more of an interest in feeling morally superior to “the masses” than in, well, actually gaining more votes.
Pennsylvania: 2024: 69.6 2020: 69.8 down 0.2 percentage points Georgia: 2024 67.5 2020 66.7 up Michigan: 2024 73.7 2020 72.8 up Wisconsin 2004 record was 75.0 2024: 76.1 up, AND a record Arizona: 2024 66.8 2020 66.2 up slightly Nevada 2024 67.0 2020 64.1 up
So there you have it: in the states that flipped to Trump, 5 of the 6 saw increased turnout. High turnout is not always great news for Democrats.
And now for some tough medicine:
No, Harris did NOT run a “woke” campaign, but she sure as heck was tarred by it (and by her former statements)
Democrats: the light is blinking red. Look at the progression from 2012, 2016, 2020 to 2024:
Yes, I kind of ranted yesterday. I still don’t like it today, but I am 5-7 in presidential elections. And in the first election I was cognizant of (as an elementary school student), an outspoken segregationist won 5 states. So, I’ve seen a lot go down during elections. And most of my disgust ..is aimed at Democrats for f**king things up. And that is our problem: we are a confederation of grievance groups. YES, grievance worked for Trump, but his block was much larger than any of ours.
Workout notes: 5 miles of walking (hill course) in 1:10:53 (14:11). I didn’t give myself a chance to get it under 14 minutes per mile with a “fast” 1.2 at the end.
Ok, I am going to rant about the election. MAGAS: sorry, but I won’t be talking about you all that much, aside from looking at demographic data from the CNN exit poll. I am not going to talk about Trump that much either, except for what I think he did to win the election (and yes, he won convincingly; I cannot deny that.)
I am going to look at some data, at some trend, and I’ll have some things to say about those who voted the way that I did.
Maps (again, mostly by CNN)
Illinois went blue, as before, due to Chicago and the collar counties. Other blue areas of note: Moline (east), East St. Louis, Champaign (University of Illinois), McLean county (Bloomington-Normal, Illinois St. University) But, Rockford went red. Hmm. Our county: 51-47 for Harris.
Now let’s look at my old state, Texas: 2008, 2016, vs 2024
yes, the big cities: Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and El Paso are blue. But what do you notice in the heavily Mexican American regions in the deep southern part? Exit stage right, for the Democrats. It kind of reminds me of what happened with Iowa, which Obama won twice.
Now for some demographics:
Age: 40-64 went for Trump; 65 and up was a tie. Race/sex: White men and white women went for Trump, as did…Latino men? Keep using “macho” as a pejorative and harping about “toxic masculinity.”
But the shocker for me was income level: Harris won the “upper” income level. How? Even more surprising: Trump won the lowest income levels!!!!! This is completely upside down from the traditional models.
Wow…I guess Zakaria (who did the above before the election) knew what he was talking about.
And, let’s talk about white women. Yes, PROFESSIONAL white women broke for Harris. But come on…remember this ad?
You think that some white woman who is living comfortably off of her husband’s job is going to risk her nice house, car, school system and neighborhood? Why liberals lionize women is beyond me; they simply cannot get beyond this “patriarchy” model.
So, how did we lose this one? Well, there is the obvious: VP Harris was thrust into this in the last minute and really didn’t have time to put together something geared around her strengths.
She was saddled with Biden’s unpopularity despite Biden getting a lot of policy wins.
Then there was Trump being able to reach out to those who felt disaffected, especially among young men:
“Rather than chase traditional Republican constituencies such as suburban and college-educated women who were drifting away from Trump, his advisers bet on activating young men, Black men and Latino men, who historically voted less reliably. With that goal, Trump sought out predominantly male audiences in nonpolitical settings such as mixed martial arts matches, a car race and podcasts recommended by his 18-year-old son, Barron. ….
Preliminary exit polls showed signs of that gamble paying off. First-time voters made up a smaller share of the electorate than in 2020, but this time they narrowly favored Trump. In 2020, the group preferred Biden two to one.”
And so, things like “ground game” meant a whole lot less than it once did. And who in the hell wants their door knocked on, anyway? (I don’t). Who wants political calls? (I don’t).
I won’t say that the Harris campaign denigrated men, but liberals sure did, at least online. And they are still doing it. I’d love for the Democrats to do some introspection, but this is a typical response:
Or this:
This is the same old nonsense: “we are too morally pure and good to win in such an evil country. ”
“Former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said Americans must now “acknowledge that Donald Trump knows our country better than we do” following his decisive 2024 election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris.
The president-elect “figured out that anger and, frankly, fear were way more powerful than appealing to people’s better angels,” McCaskill lamented on Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.””
“But in the end, a majority of American voters chose Trump because they wanted what he was selling: a nonstop reality show of rage and resentment. Some Democrats, still gripped by the lure of wonkery, continue to scratch their heads over which policy proposals might have unlocked more votes, but that was always a mug’s game. Trump voters never cared about policies, and he rarely gave them any. (Choosing to be eaten by a shark rather than electrocuted might be a personal preference, but it’s not a policy.) His rallies involved long rants about the way he’s been treated, like a giant therapy session or a huge family gathering around a bellowing, impaired grandpa.”
And, well, the Democrats seem to champion every “not-privileged” minority it can, and this leaves us open for “the Democrats are NOT for you.”
When I saw this air during I football game, I felt sick…I told my wife “this ad is effective” and she agreed that it was.
And..don’t expect the Democrats to back off with pushing the margins of social issues. As Zakaria said: Democrats see the social stuff as a moral principle that cannot be compromised on, or ..not put front and center.
We are so cooked, unless we find another Bill Clinton/Barack Obama out there.
The first election that I remember was Nixon vs Humphrey in 1968; open segregationist Wallace won 5 states. Nixon won. I stayed up late for the Carter vs Ford, watched the debates, everything. Carter won even though he won no state west of Texas. He lost California AND Illinois and still won.
I remember the Reagan vs Carter debacle. That was my first one.
I used to get excited. But this is the most anxious and, well, despondent I’ve ever been. This one is not fun at all; that so many of my fellow citizens find Trump suitable bothers me. That the Democrats have made themselves so toxic bothers me; and believe me, there is not an ounce of introspection.
Oh goodness….
Now I am thinking about my parents. Yes, they were pro life (anti-abortion). BUT….they would have despised Trump.
To them, Trump was the sort of person that would cheat his workers; try to avoid paying them.
Well, we shall see, fairly soon. I think there will be signs early.
This morning: 6.45 mile mix of West Peoria routes and a Cemetery loop. It was rainy and the roads were slippery; pace was 15:30’ish. But I did see some wild turkeys in the cemetery as well as deer.
Yesterday: weights and 5K of commuter walking (1 mile then 2)
The weights: I did one set of 7; rest were 5 to get to 52 reps
bench: 10 x 134, 4 x 160, 4 x 155, 4 x 155, 4 x 155 high incline; 10 x 94 (slid hips slightly), 7 x 94, 7 x 94 curls: 3 sets of 10 (Swiss bar)
Yes, the election is on my mind. More on that later.
The good news is that Harry went with me and was excellent company.
And it was a good game with a good crowd: 58:000. It was crowded enough to remind me that the East side stands have zero leg room and “marathon runner” wide seats.
And now the game itself: well, the game opened with one first down and exchanges of punts. It appeared as if the Illini won the battle of field position, but the quarterback fumbled on a run. That gave the Gophers a short field and while the Illini held on a drive, the Gophers got a short field goal.
The Illini answered with a drive and field goal of their own and it was 3-3.
Minnesota answered with a long drive of their own (aided by a start on the 35 due to an out of bounds kick) and it was 10-3.
The Illini answered with a spectacular run; the runner appeared to be stopped but broke from the pile.
Minnesota drove for a field goal and the Illini missed a 56 yarder as time expired at the half.
In the second half: long drive for Minnesota ended with a field goal and it was 16-10 going into the 4’th.
But the Illini passing attack revived going with the wind, aided by a failed fake punt, and now it was 17-16 and things were looking up.
No problem: Minnesota drove it again and got a touchdown but missed the 2 point conversion.
Late in the game, with just over 3 minutes to go, the Illini failed on 4’th and 4 at their own 30 (only 1 time out). The defense held and so the Gophers kicked another field goal to go up by 8: 25-17.
The Illini marched down the field, with Minnesota playing soft. With 30 seconds to go, the Illini were on the 15 but then got sacked and fumbled the ball. Game over.
It was a heck of a ball game though. A lot of action and there was not much difference between the teams.
When I got home, I found that the Navy vs Rice game, scheduled to start at 3 pm, had been delayed and delayed again and finally started a 7:30 (with Rice with the ball inside the Navy 10). And while I did nap periodically, I was awake enough to see most of the 24-10 butt kicking. The Owls just pushed the Mids around up and down the field.
So there you have it: Illinois started 6-1 and is now 6-3 and Navy started 6-0 and is now 6-2. Both gaudy starting records were fraudulent, albeit for different reasons.
Illinois pulled out 3 very close games (Kansas, Nebraska, Purdue) against so-so teams whereas Navy’s schedule WAS very, very soft. Now comes: USF, Tulane, East Carolina and Army. I’ll be happy with one more win (especially if it is against Army)
Illinois: I know what the power ratings say (slight favorites vs Michigan State and Northwestern, underdogs (slight) at Rutgers but I see all as sort-of toss-ups. I’ll predict a loss to Sparty, win at “Rutger” and “who knows” vs Northwestern.
More Big Ten: of course, Oregon is awesome, and Ohio State beat Penn State. Indiana rallied from 10-0 down to win 47-10; they are playing so well! But I was surprised at how easily Iowa handled Wisconsin: 42-10!
I am not saying the election is close but rather the confidence interval is just too wide to say much useful.
As far as battle lines, it doesn’t appear to be the old “top down vs bottom up” economic battle, though perhaps it should be.
It appears to be: cultural “they/thems” vs “Hulk Hogan” democracy: “respect institution” vs “our sort of dictator” women’s reproductive freedom and health: enough said. cultural: “America for “Americans” (1950’s) vs “America for all Americans”
cultural: “men” vs “women”
We shall see. My guess is that, no matter the outcome, there will be upset people, and riots of Trump loses.
Workout notes walking before yesterday’s 11 am football game (3.2 at 13:50) and a sloooooow after lunch, windy 10.4 miler in 2:46. I did not have great nerve signals in this one. No pain, but I lost concentration.
Workout notes: 1 and 3 mile commuter walks. It was just above freezing in the morning.
Pull ups: 5, 5, 5, 5, 10, 5, 5,5, 5 (last 2 sets mixed grip) bench: 10 x 134, 6 x 150, 6 x 150, 6 x 150 high incline: 10 x 94 (some hip slippage), 10 x 94 (better), 5 x 105
Again..seems like so little.
Note: when I do pull ups, the final rep or two are unsat. Today I did 2 penalty reps.
If you are rabidly anti-abortion (e. g. favor abortion bans), if you are wealthy (tens of millions of dollars in assets), or if you believe the Q-anon stuff, this post isn’t for you.
If you are a female, this isn’t for you either.
If you are someone who averts their eyes and gets submissive when a woman/minority is speaking due to your “privilege”, this isn’t for you either.
This is for the guy who is doing all right, is basically socially moderate, is perhaps a bit put off by Trump’s vulgarity but whose skin crawls with the very thought of voting for a Democrat.
You might think “hey, I oppose racism, am “live and let live” as far as gay and transgender stuff, and think “let’s be moderate on economic matters.” But you are turned off by the anti-mainstream social rhetoric that constantly streams from very loud “social justice warriors.
You might be put off by the fact that there are so many men haters among the Democrats. You might even see ads like this one where a well off woman is happy to enjoy the things her 6 figure earning husband provides, but still has some contempt for him:
My fellow men: I am NOT going to gaslight you by trying to convince you that there is no anti-male sentiment among the liberals. There is.
I am not going to try to convince you that you are “privileged” and that you ought to “just shut up and listen” when a “strong woman” speaks out..or that you are a “man-splainer” when you try to present your point of view.
I think you are right about all of that. There ARE a number of unpleasant, smug, sanctimonious people voting Democrat this year. Frankly, my “block list” consists of mostly that type.
Of course there are other things: too many Democrats appear to sneer at achievement, enable underachievement and nitpick at most anything that encourages people to use the agency that they have to better themselves.
And yes, Trump appears to “get it”; he posts ads about how the Democrats are for everyone BUT you.
But, my friends, at his core, Trump is really about ONE thing: himself:
To him, you are just another “mark” to take advantage of; he cares nothing about your troubles or issues.
I’ll tell you who does back Trump:
Oligarchs who really think that THEY would control things if Trump one. THEY think that, due to their being obscenely rich, they know better than you.
High end managers and executives: these are the ones that fire you or your friend thereby lowering costs, reducing the quality of the product or service, and gain wealth through the subsequent stock increase. Under Trump, they will pay less in taxes!
Those who would love to make insurance companies even more profitable by allowing them to reject high risk applicants and to rescind coverage when people get very high cost medical conditions (e. g. look at the application and comb for possible inaccuracies, no matter how small)
So, while VP Harris isn’t perfect, she at least wants to focus economic gains on the middle class and to make things better, at least economically, for the middle class. She isn’t trying to take advantage of you by selling you junk at a wildly inflated price.
Yes, there are lots of loud, toxic Democrats. But this election is about who one socializes with.
Life of an old goat 