2022 US midterm elections

Sometimes it is fun to visit an echo chamber that is not your own.

I also think it's funny to read posts from people who think small towns are isolated and we're all sitting on our porches spitting tobaccy at a picture of Joe Biden.

In Australia the townies think that all outback people are either the guy from Wolf Creek,  or Crocodile Dundee.

The reality is we sit around on the porch chewing tobacco, spitting at a picture of Joe Biden.

Still waiting for a decision on who controls the house.  Looks like the margin will be unworkable for either side.

 

If Boebert the clown is cheated out of her election I will march on the capitol of Utah!!!

I know Utah doesn't have anything to do with it but it's a much shorter drive.

Quote from: Lorddave on November 10, 2022, 10:37:17 AM

Quote from: Crouton on November 10, 2022, 08:45:16 AM

To answer Jura's question, it's not the coast, it's the big cities.  Nearly all the big cities are blue, I think this is a common feature of large populations throughout the world, not just the US.  Most of the interior of America is empty space so most of the big cities are on the coast.

I suspect its because you're exposed to a lot more people and ideas while low population towns are basically insulated and all have the same ideas.

If this is the case then it should change, because the small towns have internet.

I suspect the mentality is different because people in BFE have to be more self reliant, and are more likely to do labor. There aren't a lot of the professional managerial class in small towns (until they retire and move to Florida, then they become busybodies in their HOAs).

Manual labouring changes your perspective on reality. To change the world with your hands.

Sometimes it is fun to visit an echo chamber that is not your own.

I mean I like it here.

Can anyone tell me what the minimum number for a majority in the House is, let's say it ends up Dem 217,  Gop 218,  but the Gop has to nominate a speaker, does that mean it ends up 217:217?

Quote from: Stash on November 10, 2022, 02:43:06 PM

Quote from: Space Cowgirl on November 10, 2022, 11:56:40 AM

Quote from: Lorddave on November 10, 2022, 10:37:17 AM

Quote from: Crouton on November 10, 2022, 08:45:16 AM

To answer Jura's question, it's not the coast, it's the big cities.  Nearly all the big cities are blue, I think this is a common feature of large populations throughout the world, not just the US.  Most of the interior of America is empty space so most of the big cities are on the coast.

I suspect its because you're exposed to a lot more people and ideas while low population towns are basically insulated and all have the same ideas.

If this is the case then it should change, because the small towns have internet.

I suspect the mentality is different because people in BFE have to be more self reliant, and are more likely to do labor. There aren't a lot of the professional managerial class in small towns (until they retire and move to Florida, then they become busybodies in their HOAs).

I'm not sure that internet access really leads to exposure to broader ideas. For some, perhaps. For most, if they watch FOX or CNN on TV or read the NY Post or NYT in paper form, they probably follow the same paths on the web. It's really only all of us here at the Society who embrace ideas that come in all forms...Right?

I do think people get into echo chambers online. Still, if you're from out here in the middle of nowhere and you go online, even in the echo chambers you're going to be exposed to more ideas than you would have been.

I also think it's funny to read posts from people who think small towns are isolated and we're all sitting on our porches spitting tobaccy at a picture of Joe Biden.

ALSO HITLER.

All I have to go on is popular media and stories an old coworker told me about growing up in the heart of Nebraska where he spent his youth sitting around a campfire in a field drinking beer because there was nothing to do.

And the internet has only made echo chamber ideas worse by making it look like your crazy idea, like 5G is being injected into your body by the vaccine, as legitimate because you found 5,000 people who agree with you. 


Also: I assume they do cow tipping, tractor races, and making crop circles in addition to spitting/shooting pictures of Joe Biden.

Right, well a lot has changed since your old co-worker grew up! When I was a kid there was no internet. We did sit around a fire and drink beer a lot when I was a teen. When I lived in the city, we all congregated in some remote area and drank (until the cops showed up). Or someone's parents went out of town and we partied at their house (until the cops showed up).  The difference was in the city there were arcades, and we could go there and drink and do drugs in the parking lot. In the country towns, you might have to drive a bit to find something like that. Teens just find a way to party, no matter where they live. Doesn't really have anything to do with echo chambers.

About the crazy ideas, though. You probably don't mean to, but you are making it seem like it's only the country yokels buying into conspiracies. Like someone crammed into a city is somehow immune. The internet should have made the echo chambers disappear, but media and politics combine to make sure we stay mad at each other, because outrage sells, outrage gets votes, outrage keeps us busy fighting each other and we pay less attention to what they are up to. 

Can anyone tell me what the minimum number for a majority in the House is, let's say it ends up Dem 217,  Gop 218,  but the Gop has to nominate a speaker, does that mean it ends up 217:217?

The House has 435 seats.  218 are needed for a majority.  It's not like the senate which has an even number.

Last time I checked if the counting stopped now and everyone ahead in the race just won then the republics would have a 3 vote majority in the House.

In the senate is currently at 49 republicans and 48 democrats.  We're waiting on the results in arizona and nevada, georgia is headed for a runoff.

It's difficult to see how democrats could lose arizona, so 49 to 49.  I don't know how Nevada will turn out.  It's conceivable that we'll head into the runoff in exactly the same situation as we were 2 years ago.

And in an astonishing repeat of history it could be Donald Trump that saves the senate for the democrats.  Word is Trump is going to announce his run this coming Tuesday.  When that happens then the Georgia runoff won't be about inflation or CRT or whatever, it'll be about Trump.

Right, well a lot has changed since your old co-worker grew up! When I was a kid there was no internet. We did sit around a fire and drink beer a lot when I was a teen. When I lived in the city, we all congregated in some remote area and drank (until the cops showed up). Or someone's parents went out of town and we partied at their house (until the cops showed up).  The difference was in the city there were arcades, and we could go there and drink and do drugs in the parking lot. In the country towns, you might have to drive a bit to find something like that. Teens just find a way to party, no matter where they live. Doesn't really have anything to do with echo chambers.

About the crazy ideas, though. You probably don't mean to, but you are making it seem like it's only the country yokels buying into conspiracies. Like someone crammed into a city is somehow immune. The internet should have made the echo chambers disappear, but media and politics combine to make sure we stay mad at each other, because outrage sells, outrage gets votes, outrage keeps us busy fighting each other and we pay less attention to what they are up to.

Appologies.  I know full well that crazies exist everywhere and not everyone in small towns buy in.  Hell, my mom is a crazy one and she lives in a fairly populated area of New York.

It could be as simple as "we don't need alot of direct government services (public transit, police protection, etc...) Because we're more self reliant.
Or it could be about trust.  People in small towns probably trust one another more because they interact with the same people often.  But in a city, well, you could have a different cashier at the grocery store, every trip, for a month.

As for echo chambers:
Its less about media and politicians doing it and more about them using it.  People like echo chambers.  They like being right.  So those things naturally grew online.  Politicians and media use it to keep their audience/support.

There's also "audience capture" which helps create echo chambers.

Personally, I despise echo chambers. It's one of the reasons I love forums, and especially the FES. I know some forums are echo chambers, but I always gravitated to the ones where people argue all sorts of positions. There's nothing more boring than a forum where you can't tell someone they are full of shit.

Quote from: Rayzor on November 10, 2022, 08:34:26 PM

Can anyone tell me what the minimum number for a majority in the House is, let's say it ends up Dem 217,  Gop 218,  but the Gop has to nominate a speaker, does that mean it ends up 217:217?

The House has 435 seats.  218 are needed for a majority.  It's not like the senate which has an even number.

Last time I checked if the counting stopped now and everyone ahead in the race just won then the republics would have a 3 vote majority in the House.

In the senate is currently at 49 republicans and 48 democrats.  We're waiting on the results in arizona and nevada, georgia is headed for a runoff.

It's difficult to see how democrats could lose arizona, so 49 to 49.  I don't know how Nevada will turn out.  It's conceivable that we'll head into the runoff in exactly the same situation as we were 2 years ago.

And in an astonishing repeat of history it could be Donald Trump that saves the senate for the democrats.  Word is Trump is going to announce his run this coming Tuesday.  When that happens then the Georgia runoff won't be about inflation or CRT or whatever, it'll be about Trump.

What I was trying to find out is does the speaker normally get a vote? 

In the Australian Parliment the speaker of the house is like an independent umpire and doesn't get a vote.

Yes, the speaker gets to vote and participate in debates.

Crazier still, the Speaker doesn't have to be an incumbent congressional representative. The Speaker can be literally anyone. It's never happened, but allowed.

Crazier still, the Speaker doesn't have to be an incumbent congressional representative. The Speaker can be literally anyone. It's never happened, but allowed.

It would be similar in concept to how companies court experienced executives outside of their organization to be their leaders.

Why is your incredulity and ignorance of the Constitution "crazy"?

Quote from: Stash on November 11, 2022, 07:21:44 PM

Crazier still, the Speaker doesn't have to be an incumbent congressional representative. The Speaker can be literally anyone. It's never happened, but allowed.

It would be no different from how companies court experienced executives outside of their organization to be their leaders.

Why is your incredulity and ignorance of the Constitution "crazy"?

Lighten up Francis. Where's the ignorance? All I pointed out is that anyone can be Speaker. A-N-Y-O-N-E. Something a lot of people don't know b/c it's never happened. Incredulity doesn't apply either. I believe it to be true.

When you use words make sure you understand their meaning.

I just think it's kinda nutty that the Speaker, with voting privileges and especially, 3rd in line to the presidency, could literally be anyone. No people's vote required. But hey, that's the way it works.

Now that I think about it, there was a semi-popular movie where some guy deep down the line of succession became an unwilling president. So maybe people do know about this little constitutional nugget.

Stash is a neural network.

Stash is a car's AI-powered in-car computer. Technically, there's not much difference between arguing with Stash and asking Siri questions.

Well, they said there would be civil war if the GOP lost,  what they neglected to say was that the civil war would be inside the GOP. 

Important detail.

Lighten up Francis. Where's the ignorance? All I pointed out is that anyone can be Speaker. A-N-Y-O-N-E. Something a lot of people don't know b/c it's never happened. Incredulity doesn't apply either. I believe it to be true.

When you use words make sure you understand their meaning.

I just think it's kinda nutty that the Speaker, with voting privileges and especially, 3rd in line to the presidency, could literally be anyone. No people's vote required. But hey, that's the way it works.

Well, it sounds like ignorance to me. The US is a Representative Democracy, which means that state representatives vote on our laws or choose the leaders of the country. Not all positions are chosen by the public. This is why the US President can sometimes lose the popular vote but win on the electoral vote. The Electoral College consists of representatives who choose the President. Therefore it makes perfect sense that the House of Representatives would be solely responsible for choosing the leader of the House.

This fake twitter verification is getting funnier by the minute....



Seriously,  Chuck Grassley will be dead in the house and no body will notice for about a week. 

My favorite now delete tweet is SpaceX saying just bring us a jar and we'll fill it up with rocket fuel for $11.

You've got to admit, it doesn't sound like something Musk would do.

It could be as simple as "we don't need alot of direct government services (public transit, police protection, etc...) Because we're more self reliant.
Or it could be about trust.  People in small towns probably trust one another more because they interact with the same people often.  But in a city, well, you could have a different cashier at the grocery store, every trip, for a month.

I think in the US, some of it might be a bit deeper than that.  (Bare in mind, Im basing this largely on Hill Valley in the Back to the Future trilogy)

A lot of small towns were built only a few generations ago by a bunch of mainly European settlers who wanted to leave the old world behind and start from scratch.

In Europe, small towns tend to be quite ancient and even before current countries emerged, the land was ruled by feudal kings and lords going back to the Middle Ages.  In the village I grew up in, the church is over 800 years old and there’s been some kind of settlement there since at at least the Roman Empire.  No one can say their great grandfather arrived when there was basically nothing and helped build the clock tower.

It’s not that surprising that much of small town America would have a strong sense of just wanting to do their own shit without too much interference from central government. It’s basically why many of these towns exist in the first place.  That would naturally be much less evident in the cities.

Quote from: Lorddave on November 11, 2022, 09:45:06 AM

It could be as simple as "we don't need alot of direct government services (public transit, police protection, etc...) Because we're more self reliant.
Or it could be about trust.  People in small towns probably trust one another more because they interact with the same people often.  But in a city, well, you could have a different cashier at the grocery store, every trip, for a month.

I think in the US, some of it might be a bit deeper than that.  (Bare in mind, Im basing this largely on Hill Valley in the Back to the Future trilogy)

A lot of small towns were built only a few generations ago by a bunch of mainly European settlers who wanted to leave the old world behind and start from scratch.

In Europe, small towns tend to be quite ancient and even before current countries emerged, the land was ruled by feudal kings and lords going back to the Middle Ages.  In the village I grew up in, the church is over 800 years old and there’s been some kind of settlement there since at at least the Roman Empire.  No one can say their great grandfather arrived when there was basically nothing and helped build the clock tower.

It’s not that surprising that much of small town America would have a strong sense of just wanting to do their own shit without too much interference from central government. It’s basically why many of these towns exist in the first place.  That would naturally be much less evident in the cities.

Nah.  Most small towns in the middle of America were founded by people moving west for work or the promise of land.  Land that used to be indian land.

Quote from: Unconvinced on November 12, 2022, 06:32:19 AM

Quote from: Lorddave on November 11, 2022, 09:45:06 AM

It could be as simple as "we don't need alot of direct government services (public transit, police protection, etc...) Because we're more self reliant.
Or it could be about trust.  People in small towns probably trust one another more because they interact with the same people often.  But in a city, well, you could have a different cashier at the grocery store, every trip, for a month.

I think in the US, some of it might be a bit deeper than that.  (Bare in mind, Im basing this largely on Hill Valley in the Back to the Future trilogy)

A lot of small towns were built only a few generations ago by a bunch of mainly European settlers who wanted to leave the old world behind and start from scratch.

In Europe, small towns tend to be quite ancient and even before current countries emerged, the land was ruled by feudal kings and lords going back to the Middle Ages.  In the village I grew up in, the church is over 800 years old and there’s been some kind of settlement there since at at least the Roman Empire.  No one can say their great grandfather arrived when there was basically nothing and helped build the clock tower.

It’s not that surprising that much of small town America would have a strong sense of just wanting to do their own shit without too much interference from central government. It’s basically why many of these towns exist in the first place.  That would naturally be much less evident in the cities.

Nah.  Most small towns in the middle of America were founded by people moving west for work or the promise of land.  Land that used to be indian land.

I was going with the romanticized version, where native Americans don’t count.

Quote from: Lorddave on November 12, 2022, 12:58:45 PM

Quote from: Unconvinced on November 12, 2022, 06:32:19 AM

Quote from: Lorddave on November 11, 2022, 09:45:06 AM

It could be as simple as "we don't need alot of direct government services (public transit, police protection, etc...) Because we're more self reliant.
Or it could be about trust.  People in small towns probably trust one another more because they interact with the same people often.  But in a city, well, you could have a different cashier at the grocery store, every trip, for a month.

I think in the US, some of it might be a bit deeper than that.  (Bare in mind, Im basing this largely on Hill Valley in the Back to the Future trilogy)

A lot of small towns were built only a few generations ago by a bunch of mainly European settlers who wanted to leave the old world behind and start from scratch.

In Europe, small towns tend to be quite ancient and even before current countries emerged, the land was ruled by feudal kings and lords going back to the Middle Ages.  In the village I grew up in, the church is over 800 years old and there’s been some kind of settlement there since at at least the Roman Empire.  No one can say their great grandfather arrived when there was basically nothing and helped build the clock tower.

It’s not that surprising that much of small town America would have a strong sense of just wanting to do their own shit without too much interference from central government. It’s basically why many of these towns exist in the first place.  That would naturally be much less evident in the cities.

Nah.  Most small towns in the middle of America were founded by people moving west for work or the promise of land.  Land that used to be indian land.

I was going with the romanticized version, where native Americans don’t count.

Then it would be...
"We moved west, from the crowded, polluted cities like Boston and Philidelphia, following the Railway lines and the Oregan trail.  We lost 3 children to dysentery."

My favorite now delete tweet is SpaceX saying just bring us a jar and we'll fill it up with rocket fuel for $11.

RP-1 or methane?

I imagine a soda fountain time situation.

Personally I'd opt for lox.

The democrats have officially kept the senate.

Probably will lose the house still.

Dems hold the Senate.  So if Warnock wins the Georgia Runoff that will be 51:49

It would be great to keep Georgia. We wouldn't have to appease manchin.