Elections, Moose and Eagle Edition

Tal Bachman wrote a column for Mark Steyn about election reform in America. He described in detail what he thought needed to be done, and we suggest reader(s) click on over and read. What Bachman described isn't a fantasy, but in fact, how they run free, fair, transparent and fraud free elections in Canada. Our FB friend Kathy Shaidle posted the article, and we commented how stunned we were that election fraud just isn't a problem up there. Indeed, Steyn has commented before that election fraud just isn't a problem anywhere in the Anglosphere. Bachman replied, 'That's one of the most frustrating things about this.'

As it happens one of our friends in one of Her Majesties' Dominions renowned for being really good at a particular winter sport is an election observer. He described to us in detail what happens at a polling place in his country:

-Observers can inspect ballots and challenge any ballot that doesn't meet election standards.
-Observers sit next to poll staff and had have full access to voter rolls
-Voter cards required for pre-election day voting. No mail in ballots unless you're overseas.
-Local judges and mounted police on standby in case there's a problem

As our friend relayed this too us we cried, then we laughed because crying won't do any good.

Okay, okay, we have all that down here (oops) as well, in theory. The difference seems to be that up there (oops) they have a culture of free elections. The kind of mass fraud we've seen here seems unthinkable. No one winks at it like we do in the United States. 

Meanwhile a friend of ours was a recount observer in a swing state that the Democrats stole. Our friend reports chaos.

On the Ballots:

-In person ballots 70% for Trump, mail in ballots 99% Biden

-Lots of mail in ballots gave parks and libraries for address

-Stacks of fresh, pristine ballots that needed to be folded and placed in an envelope but showed no evidence of a fold or crease.* (changed the description at request of attendee)

 On the floor:

-GOP observers advised not to use last names, followed to their cars, license plates recorded
-GOP observers harassed on the floor
-Out of state GOP lawyers because the locals were being harassed

We have GOP-e friends in Washington right now who never really liked Trump and want him to pack it in. We've asked them how they plan to win an election if they let the Dems get away with stealing this one. No response.

Exit question, will reader(s) have this song in their head all day now?:

Will's Election Night Wrap

Horrible GOP candidate in our mother's ancestral homeland, the great state of Kentucky, battles Dem to standstill, acts like Democart and has not yet coneded race. Good. GOP romps in rest of state. Check out the new AG, yo.

GOP wins governor's race in the land of our grandmother's birth, the great state of Mississippi.

Virginia becomes New York on the Chesapeake. Stop saying Virginia is in play. Virginia is not in play.

Meanwhile, here in Bridgewater:

BRIDGEWATER, NJ - Republicans Matthew Moench, Michael Kirsh and Timothy Ring were declared the winners for mayor and council, respectively, according to the unofficial results from Bridgewater Township. Moench received 6,382 votes, to 4,411 votes for Democratic challenger Jeffrey Brookner and 242 votes for Libertarian challenger Gregg Mele.

Tell me again how the GOP has a suburb problem.

I want my Bibi, my Bibi, my Bibi, my Bibi....

Via Legal Insurrection we learn that the Knesset has dissolved and Israel will hold elections on 9 April.

Legal Insurrection rightly points out that it is tough to draw parallels between Israeli and American politics.

The Knesset holds 120 seats and no party comes close to majority, Bibi's Likud leads with 30, so coalitions start from the center and work their way... right.

Israel has not had a left government since Aerial Sharon bulldozed Ehud Barrak in 2001.

These days two issues are important in Israel, security (Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran) and Haredi Laws.

Haredi is the Israeli term for 'ultra' Orthodox Jews, like the Hasidim in New York.

For the most part Hassidic Jews are not a bother here in America. But in Israel the Haredis are a problem. Traditionally they control Israeli religious life. Also they are except from the draft. Yeah...everyone else serves over there, but not them. They are also getting more bellicose about Israeli secular society around them. Periodically planes are delayed becuase some Haredi doesn't want to sit next to a woman.

Netanyahu tried and failed to get a Haredi draft law passed.

We cannot say how the Israeli elections will turn out. We'll be betting on another Netanyahu government as we just don't see anyone with the chops to take him down. This January will be Bibi's tenth year in office. At some point one has to ask when enough is enough.

As far as Haredi issues go, we suspect these won't be solved until Israel elects a center-left government, perhaps one led by Yair Lapid, but that probably wont be for a while, probably not till Hezbollah gets Final Solutioned.

Off Years and On Results

Regarding today's special election in PA we find ourselves wondering if these things really predict anything.

Note:

-In 1986 the Dems annihilated the GOP in the off year elections, yet somehow we've never needed to talk about President Dukakis.

-In 1994 the GOP won the senate and took the house for the first time in 40 years. Bob Dole [Jesus-Ed] still lost in 1996.

-In 1997 the GOP won the VA and NJ governor races and reelected Rudy Giuliani. Then in 1998 the Dems broke even in the congressional races, a yuuge victory for them. The GOP barely elected W in 2000.

-In 2001 the Dems won the governor races in VA and NJ, but the GOP won the 2002 elections.

-In 2010 the GOP annihilated Barry and the Dems, yet Mitt Romney was never president.

Remember that the Dems were 0-4 in last year's special congressional races, but then won in VA and NJ and snuck one in the Alabama Senate race.

It's always the circumstances on the ground at the time that matter most. Also, turnout, turnout, turnout.

Elections Past

Tonight I'm going to binge watch something.

I hate watching the coverage, its more nerve racking than when the Giants are in the Superbowl. I hate that too, by the way.

It's kind of a tradition with me now, partly by design, partly by happenstance.

My first election was 1988. Realizing that my guy was going to get clobbered, I watched Fast Times at Ridgemont High instead. I hadn't seen it yet.

In 1992 I voted for Bill by absentee ballot but didn't get see the returns. I had drama rehearsal. I was Cradeau in No Exit and the performance date was looming. When I left Bill had won NH, by the time I got back to my dorm room three and half hours later it was all over.

In 1996 I drove home 300 miles to vote for Bobdole for some reason. There was little suspense of course, and I had a term paper to work on anyway.

2000....2000, living in Northern Virginia with my wife I was riveted to the TV all night after coming home from dinner. Bush was up 51-3 at first, then the networks in succession called FL, PA, and MI for Algore. It was at that point I retired to my study, put on Mendelssohn's Overture Hebrides and had a stiff drink. Then with 50% of the vote in and Bush leading by 250K the networks threw FL into the tossup section. It was long night, as one by one the rest of the states went for Bush. Finally sometime late they called FL for W. I went to bed happy. When I woke up....

In 2004 I tried to ignore election night but failed. It was actually fun, with Fox News in the background and me on my computer bouncing from one secretary of state website to the next following the returns. Bush won FL impressively and put the nail in Kerry's coffin in OH. What an asshole. A long, fun fulfilling night.

Not much to see in 2008. I worked in my study and periodically checked in on RCP. At 11, when the networks called it, I was pissed because Fox-5 showed election coverage. I wanted to watch The Office.

In 2012, having made a nervous wreck of myself, I watched Get Carter (the Michael Caine version) and went to bed at 10:30. It was all over by then, but I didn't know until I woke up at 4:30 and checked the Drudge report. It wasn't so bad. I had a new book coming out and, by the way, a new baby.

In these things I took solace for a broken heart.