Go big on Biden

I decided to go quiet on Twitter until after the election. But I had to document my thoughts in writing one last time before 11/3/2020.

Back in 2016 I was confident Hillary would win, but I did post two tweets running up to the election that belied my insecurities: here (11/4) and here (11/8). Now that we're a week from Election Day, I'd like to reflect for the record that I think this time around may be a blowout for Biden & what it means.

Two days after the 2016 election, I posted a bit of analysis on the numbers and takeaways. Mainly my point was that Trump's win was a razor-thin margin across MI + PA + WI & that demographics would make 2020 an even harder win ("hinge" election notwithstanding). I stand by my conclusions, although the certified numbers did shift somewhat (in Hillary's favor, actually). As many people have pointed out, third party voters & low turnout won't be the same factor this time around.

So what about now? TL;DR version: a big Biden win. And even better? I think we'll have a good idea on the night of the election because of Florida, Florida, Florida.

politics, values, meaning

Before I reflect on the upcoming election, let me frame two things from two of today's NYT op-ed columnists:

Nicholas Kristof summarizes

"The United States has made other terrible mistakes over the decades, including the Iraq War and the War on Drugs. But in terms of destruction of American lives, treasure and wellbeing, this pandemic may be the greatest failure of governance in the United States since the Vietnam War."

and David Brooks declares a winner in the war of ideas

"The 2020 shift to the left follows years of steady leftward drift. In 2015, a majority of Americans believed that “government is doing too many things better left to business and individuals.” Now only 39 percent of Americans believe that, while 59 percent think, “Government should do more to solve problems,” according to Pew Research Center.

I come from a county which voted overwhelmingly to elect Trump (82-16) & will do the same again this year. I was raised in a staunchly Southern Baptist & Republican household by loving parents. I want to be a good, kind, open-minded person to my friends and family who see the world very differently than me. So I decided to step back from tweeting and stewing in the headlines to reflect a bit more before reacting to everything.

I stand by my analysis of the moral calculus from about a month ago. I think he will go down in defeat. But I think the problems in our country will remain. People are misinformed on a massive scale by special interests, foreign influence peddling, and the outright corruption that results from giving politicians unfettered access to the pocketbooks of corporations and billionaires.

But I am reminded of the bigger picture, in which humans learn from their mistakes. Do they repeat history first as tragedy, then as farce? Maybe. Maybe Trump wins. Life will go on if so. But the fight will continue either way & I am feeling weary, so I am going to step back from political tweeting & blogging.

active Republican Christian terrorist in Washington state

This is fine:

"as of this writing, an alleged practitioner of radical Christian terrorism remains a state legislator in Washington."

You really have to read about Matt Shea to believe it is even real:

"Last year, the chair of the Republican caucus in Washington’s state legislature acknowledged that he had written a manifesto on the 'Biblical Basis for War.' In that document, the lawmaker argued that – as far as Jesus Christ was concerned – American Christians have the right to 'kill all males' who support abortion, same-sex marriage or communism (so long as they first give such infidels the opportunity to renounce their heresies).

The manifesto’s revelation cost its author, Matt Shea, his chairmanship. But Shea insisted that his writings were merely 'a summary of church sermons on Old Testament war that could help place current events in historical context.' And so, the Washington GOP did not call for Shea to resign or expel him from its House caucus. [emphasis mine]"

Although they finally suspended him from the caucus when more information came out, the fact that Republicans in Washington kept a white Christian terrorist in their protective circle tells you all you need to know...notwithstanding my hyperbolic use of #AmericanTaliban.

From April:

"At various points in his strange career, State Representative Matt Shea of Washington’s Spokane Valley has called for a holy war on liberals, advocated for eastern Washington to secede from the union, and spoken to meetings of the John Birch Society. Now, despite a new report that details his participation in a disturbing far-right group chat, Shea, a Republican, is clinging to power. His party seems reluctant to condemn him."

I wrote about Christian theonomy about 13.5 years ago...jeez the more the change, eh?