#Colorado wants all the good things about the south with the politics of the west
Text
Colorado is so greedy my hometown now has a Raising Canes, In-N-Out, AND a Buckees. Plus if you drive a little more than an hour you can go to a Pizza Ranch. There's a reason no one can agree on what part of the country Colorado is because it wants to be every part.
#rehks rants#for context#canes is southern‚ in n out is southwest‚ buckees is south it might just be south west idk about like Deep South for that one#and pizza ranch is northern I used to go all the time in north dakota#Colorado#it has the reputation of a place like california the climate of the west and the north#rural Colorado is very American Midwest but it has so many big cities#watch them get a whataburger in the next few years#Colorado wants all the good things about the south with the politics of the west#oh and also Coloradans actually are into ranch culture a lot
2 notes
·
View notes
Note
Can u tell me some stuff about Quebec?
wanna give her a cameo in an fic
Hey! So first of all, YESS!
Now, you weren’t quite precise in your ask, so imma share a variety of my own headcanons to give you some more info^^
Physically:
She has middle back long, slightly curled deep brown hair, with copper reflect in the summer, and the crystal-clear blue eyes you can imagine (when she’s angry her eyes become more white than blue, and the air is way colder than before). Her skin is pale, pinkish on the nose and cheeks in the winter, and she got some freckles. In autumn, her hair is redder and more blond than brown (leaves changing colour) when she’s in the south of the province.
Her body temperature is usually colder than any of the Northeast States and lower the more she is north in her province (the only state who share the same temperature is Alaska). Now, during the summer, depending on what’s going on, she can get as warm as the lower east coast state when she has wildfire. If she had tornadoes, she’s physically frazzled, and if it’s flood, her skin takes a greenish or bluish tint. If it’s a good summer (no fire, tornadoes, or floods) she has a good temperature, around the same as the Northeast states.
For her clothes, from Automn to spring (October to April), it’s usually a t-shirt under a flannel, a toque (beanie) or earmuff, jeans, mittens, and converse (boots if there’s snow). Her shirt is usually a HABs shirt (Montreal Canadian hockey team), especially during hockey season, her flannel dark blue or bright red, and her toque vary. Sometime is a blue one with her name on it, other times a white one with a pompom, or it’s a Nordiques de Québec one (Québec City hockey team before they were bought by Colorado and became the Avalanche).
During the summer, it’s usually capri pants or long shorts, a tank top or t-shirt, a cap (usually a Buffalo bills one, or Jersey Devil after she started her relationship with NJ), and sunglasses. Sometimes she wears flip-flops, other times sandals, depends on her mood and where she’s going. She’s a fervent user of sunscreen and always got water on her.
Character:
Honestly, depends on the situation. She can be a real Bitch if she wants to, mainly with the other province when they attack her (usually the wests ones). She’s a mom friend if she knows you and care about you and will make fun of you if you embarrass yourself with her (she respects boundaries tho). She knows her worth and is incredibly stubborn when she wants to. If you dare compare her to France she’ll make you regret it and she is really proud of her culture (never says Poutine was made anywhere else than in Québec, she and I will fight you about it). She’s always happy to teach people French and if you respect her she’ll respect you.
She’s polite meeting new people and like to share culture; she’ll judge you if you do something stupid though.
Concerning religion, she’s a little lost. When she became New France, in the 1500s, she was divided between the Catholics and Natives spirituality (usually animist) before staying Catholic. Then, during the Quiet Revolution in the 60s, Québécois rejected religion, and made the government secular (not linked to religion). So, I believe she’ll be mainly Agnostic, for mostly only the oldest generations (Boomer and older) are church goers.
Relationship:
Now, her relationship is carved from centuries of existence and experience and differ from if they’re Canadian or not.
Canadian provinces and Territories:
She’s *friendly* with New Brunswick and Nunavut, but don’t really speak with Prince Edward Island or Nova Scotia. She’s extremely supportive of Newfoundland and Labrador (Trans man) and has a great relationship of mutual respect with Northwest Territories (They’re as old as the other and have known each other for a long time).
Concerning Ontario it’s more of an indifferent to *I kind of care about you* relationship. They don’t agree about a lot of things and usually snap each other (Ontarian drivers are terrible, I swear), but they will support each other when the West become snappy at them.
Québec barely care about Manitoba (the feeling’s mutual) and Yukon (they don’t know each other well).
Now, for the West province, well, its complicated. British Columbia is a bitch most of the time because she likes to rile up other people. Québec respect her because she’s alone on the other side of the Rockies and is the oldest Western province, and as women alone on their own for a long time of their existence, they both respect each other. It doesn’t stop BC from having terrible social skills (except when she’s high, then she’s like a hippie and is nicer while also staying passive-aggressive).
Now, Alberta and Saskatchewan are twins; they share the same Province day and are only older than Nunavut. Saskatchewan is the nicest one, but still resent Québec for trying to separate in the 70s. Alberta uses Québec to blame most of her problem; the French province is far from her, refuse to speak to her in English, and well, Québec doesn’t care about them most of the time. To her they are children, who doesn’t understand her, or even try to get her point of view, so she won’t fight them about it.
Concerning the states:
I wrote about QC and Alaska and their relationship in I've tried to put this all behind me (I think I was wrecked all along), but in short they met during the New France era, when Alaska was still owned by Russia, and became close friends despite the language barrier. They met again because of Maine.
For the Northeast, Virginia, Georgia, and the Carolinas, I already share some of it in my fic Five times Québec helped a Northeast State. I headcanon her as on the Aromantic spectrum (Gray or Demi) and Pansexual, and she slept with PA, NH, and Vermont before they settled down (NH with Vermont and PA with Ohio). She and Jersey have a together/not together relationship (really you need to read the fic to get it) and she’s married to NY (QPR).
Maine is like her brother, Connecticut, NH, and Vermont her close friends, and the rest are her friends. She loves Virginia and their ability to bring the other back in order when they get too chaotic. Mass, PA and she are always ready to fight each other concerning hockey (they were pissed when tempa won two Stanley cup), and she likes to watch Rhode Island kick someone’s butt.
For the other southern states, well they helped her out when Britain ordered her captured (before her wedding to NY) and she always liked them for that.
Finally, Louisiana. I didn’t present their relationship yet, but I’m working on their fic.
Louie resent her. It’s not conscious, more something they both refused to acknowledge, really. He didn’t know that, when they were separated, she was sold to the British while France sold him to Spain. He resent her because she never tried to get to him, or get him back, and how she never helped him from Spain treatment.
I’m waiting to write those two, so yeah.
That was it! You got me to write a story, omg. If you have any question hit me up^^
#wttt#welcome to the table#welcome to the statehouse#wtttsh#ben brainard#dirus think#wttt quebec#ask#tigerdraching#wttt headcanons
9 notes
·
View notes
Text
“VIOLENCE WILL NOT BRING CHANGE.”
That’s what Biden said in his latest advert.
Are we kidding ourselves here? Seriously? It’s the AMERICAN WAY! Let’s review a little history...
1619: SLAVERY BEGINS in AMERICA
American Revolutionary War (1775–1783)
Cherokee–American wars (1776–1795) USA v. Native Americans
Northwest Indian War (1785–1793) USA v. Native Americans
Shays' Rebellion (1786–1787) USA v. Citizens During Debt Crisis
Whiskey Rebellion (1791–1794) USA v. Citizens over TAXES
Quasi-War (1798–1800) Naval Pissing Match- USA v. France
Fries Rebellion (1799–1800) USA . PA Dutch Farmers over TAXES
First Barbary War (1801–1805) USA & Sweden v. N. Africa (Pirates)
German Coast Uprising (1811) Slave Rebellion in New Orleans v. USA
Tecumseh's War (1811) Native Annihilation.
War of 1812 (1812–1815) USA v. Britain over UK’s seizure of ships and men
Creek War (1813–1814) USA v. Alabama Native Americans
Second Barbary War (1815) Again.
First Seminole War (1817–1818) USA v. Florida Native Americans
Texas–Indian Wars (1820–1875) USA v. Texas Natives & Spain/Mexico
Arikara War (1823) USA v. Sioux Native Americans
Aegean Sea Anti-Piracy Operations of the United States (1825–1828)
Winnebago War (1827) USA v. Wisconsin Native Americans
First Sumatran expedition (1832) USA v. Indonesia
Black Hawk War (1832) USA v. Ill & Mich Native Americans
Texas Revolution (1835–1836) USA v. Mexico to steal Tex-ass
Second Seminole War (1835–1842) USA v. Native Americans in Florida
Second Sumatran expedition (1838)
Aroostook War (1838) USA v. Britain over N. Brunswick & Maine Border
Ivory Coast expedition (1842) USA v. Bereby, W. Africa against Slavers
Mexican–American War (1846–1848) USA v. Mexico to seize TX, NM & CA
Cayuse War (1847–1855) USA v. Oregon Native Americans (Annihilation)
Apache Wars (1851–1900) USA v. Apache Native Americans in s.west
Bleeding Kansas (1854–1861) USA v. USA Kansas & Missouri Conservative PRO-Slavery versus Abolitionist/Progressive ANTI-Slavery in new territories.
Puget Sound War (1855–1856) USA v. coastal Wash. State Native Americans
First Fiji expedition (1855) USA v. Fiji over the islanders not wanting rich American fucks there anymore. We did away with that by force, by Harry!
Rogue River Wars (1855–1856) USA v. Oregon Native Americans
Third Seminole War (1855–1858) USA purges last of Florida Natives
Yakima War (1855–1858) USA v. Washington Native Americans
Second Opium War (1856–1859) USA, Britain & France v. China over forcing the Chinese to buy opium to keep them compliant
Utah War (1857–1858) USA v. The F’n MORMONS This was the Waco Tex-Ass of its time.
Navajo Wars USA v. New Mexico Native Americans (Long Walk)
Second Fiji expedition (1859) USA v. Fiji. We told them once...
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry (1859) USA v. USA, Prelude to Civil War
First and Second Cortina War (1859–1861) USA (Then CSA) v. Mexico in TX
Paiute War (1860) USA v. Nevada Native Americans
American Civil War (1861–1865) USA v. CSA
Yavapai Wars (1861–1875) USA v. AZ Native Americans
Dakota War of 1862 (1862) USA v. Minnesota & Dakota Native Americans
Colorado War (1863–1865) USA v. Colorado, Wyoming & Nebraska Natives
Shimonoseki War (1863–1864) UK, USA, France, Dutch v. Japan over straight between Japan’s own islands.
Snake War (1864–1868) USA v. Native Americans in Oregon, Nevada, Idaho & California
Powder River War (1865) USA v. Native Americans in Montana & Dakota
Red Cloud's War (1866–1868) USA v. Native Americans in Wyoming & Montana
Formosa expedition (1867) USA v. Taiwan Natives in response to massacre of crew of wrecked USS Rover, a small bark.
Comanche Campaign (1867–1875) USA v. Native Americans in western states/territories
Korea expedition (1871) USA v. Korea in retaliation for being shot at because they hated us.
Modoc War (1872–1873) USA v. Native Americans in N. Cali & Oregon.
Red River War (1874–1875) USA v. Native Americans in S.W.
Las Cuevas War (1875) USA/TX v. Mexican Raiders
Great Sioux War of 1876 (1876–1877) USA v. Native Americans in S.W.
Buffalo Hunters' War (1876–1877) USA v. Native Americans in TX & OK
Nez Perce War (1877) USA v. Native Americans in Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming & Montana
Bannock War (1878) USA v. Native Americans in Oregon, Idaho & Wyoming
Cheyenne War (1878–1879) USA v. Native Americans in Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, S. Dakota and Montana
Sheepeater Indian War (1879) USA v. Native Americans in Idaho
Victorio's War (1879–1881) USA/Mexico v. Apache in Mexico
White River War (1879–1880) USA v. Native Americans in Colorado
Pine Ridge Campaign (1890–1891) USA v. Native Americans in S. Dakota
Garza Revolution (1891–1893) USA & Mexico v. Mexican Revolutionaries
Yaqui Wars (1896–1918) USA/Mexico v. Native Americans in Mexico & AZ
Second Samoan Civil War (1898–1899) USA v. Germany over Samoa Control because screw the natives already living there.
Spanish–American War (1898) USA v. Spain- when the US wanted to bugger Spain and used the likely accidental destruction of the USS Maine (”Remember the Maine!”) in Havana Harbor as an excuse for war.
Philippine–American War (1899–1902) USA v. Philippines because we won you from Spain in the last war; screw you if you’re a native on the island.
Moro Rebellion (1899–1913) USA v. Philippines because while we’re here, we’ll meddle in your politics too.
Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901) USA v. China because they wanted those douchebag imperialists, foreigners and goddamn Christians to simply fuck the hell off back to where they came from because they suck.
Crazy Snake Rebellion (1909) USA v. OK Native Americans because Americans just LOVE betraying treaties and killing the native population.
Border War (1910–1919) USA v. Mexico & Germany because it’s more fun to play with guns and kill one another rather than sit at a table with a map and come to an amicable agreement.
Negro Rebellion (1912) USA v. Cuba (under US control from war with Spain) where we literally went in and slaughtered Afro-Cubans for wanting freedom. (Part of the Banana Wars)
Occupation of Nicaragua (1912–1933) USA v. Nicaragua where the US seized land and occupied it because a canal was going to be built and never was. Oops. (Part of the Banana Wars)
Bluff War (1914–1915) USA v. Native Americans in Utah and Colorado. Again. Why should the last generation have all the fun, right?
Occupation of Veracruz (1914) USA v. Mexico. Because fuck those Mexicans, right?
Occupation of Haiti (1915–1934) USA v. Haiti because why not? We own you now. (Part of the Banana Wars)
Occupation of the Dominican Republic (1916–1924) USA v. D.R. because we may as well own you too while we’re in the area.
World War I (1917–1918)
USA arriving very late in the “War to End All Wars”. “Thanks for nothing,” said the allies, “But please; take all the credit.”
Russian Civil War (1918–1920) USA & Europe v. Bolshevik Russia which didn’t end well for the USA & allies. We totally lost that one.
Last Indian Uprising (1923) USA v. Native Americans in Utah because we’d rather have Mormons than the Ute and the Paiute tribes.
World War II (1939–1945)
USA fights Japan covertly in the Pacific, aiding China against Japanese aggression. USA assists Britain and occupied Europe against the FASCIST regimes of Hitler’s Nazis and Mussolini in Italy and fucks off until the Attack of Pearl Harbor in 1941. “Oh, THIS shit again?” asks Europe. “Showing up late YET AGAIN, but sure; hey, USA, take all the credit yet again. Seriously, fuck you guys. Thanks for the assist, but we could have saved millions of lives of you’d gotten of your fat asses YEARS ago!”
Korean War (1950–1953) USA v. N. Korea in a proxy war with the USSR and China because fuck those commies, right? We won, even though they kicked our asses and a formal treaty was NEVER signed so technically the war is actually STILL ON.
Laotian Civil War (1953–1975) USA v. Laos and those commie scumbags. Yep. We don’t talk about this one because we LOST.
Lebanon Crisis (1958) USA v. Lebanon, Beirut, because we like Christians and fuck those Muslim twats, right? (God, we’re not a good people in the US...)
Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961) USA & Cuban Revolutionaries v. Cuban Government because fuck the commies. Maybe if we help, we’ll own Cuba again... Oops. Nope. Totally fucked that up.
Simba rebellion, Operation Dragon Rouge (1964) USA and EU Allies v. S.E. Asia in amounted to a total clusterfuck that dissolved Vietnam and was a precursor there as well as other areas. It helped the rise of dictators all throughout the region. Khmer Rouge anyone?
Vietnam War (1955–1975) USA, S. Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand etc. v. China-backed, USSR backed N. Vietnam. The Imperialist WEST v. the Communist EAST. That ended in a shit-show for the West like all proxy wars in southeast Asia do.
Communist insurgency in Thailand (1965–1983) USA/Local allies v. China/ally backed communist rebels. Pretty much a draw that petered out and Communism didn’t really stick... sort of.
Korean DMZ Conflict (1966–1969) USA v. N. Korea because they attempted to convince the S. Koreans to rise up and join the North, throwing out the WEST. No dice for them.
Dominican Civil War (1965–1966) USA v. Dom. Republic insurgents to restore Dem elected government. It worked so well that we would decide never to really do that sort of thing again when doing it the opposite way gets us more money.
Insurgency in Bolivia (1966–1967) USA (CIA) & Bolivia stomp out Che Guevara because we’ll have none of this uprising shit.
Cambodian Civil War (1967–1975) USA v. Cambodian communists, because we were in the area anyway... “THE KILLING FIELDS” happened.
War in South Zaire (1978) USA & Allies v. USSR & Allies in Africa. Yes, another Cold War proxy war. Finally, the US wins one. Yay.
Gulf of Sidra encounter (1981) USA v. Libya- a pissing contest over a line in the water. Libyan fighters fire upon US fighters and get their asses handed to them. USA! USA! USA!
Multinational Intervention in Lebanon (1982–1984) USA joins the U/N to shaft the P.L.O. and Muslims in Lebanon because fuck them and we love Israel.
Invasion of Grenada (1983) USA v. Cuban-backed commie bastards who overthrew the democratically elected government. I know we said we wouldn’t do that again, but we hate Cuba more than these guys.
Action in the Gulf of Sidra (1986) USA v. Libya because fuck you, Qaddafi, and that bullshit line in the water. We’re sending a carrier group in to show YOU where the REAL line is.
Bombing of Libya (1986) USA v. Libya because they keep bombing shit around Europe and they make us keep coming back. France still likes Libya and wouldn’t let US fighters through their airspace as they left German air bases. US pilots were a bit fatigued having to go around the long way and ‘accidentally’ bombed the French Embassy in Libya...
Tanker War (1987–1988) USA v. Iran because fuck them, that’s why. Iran & Iraq were duking it out and Iran thought shooting at US and allied shipping would be good fun. USS Vincennes then shot down Iran Air Flight 655, killing 290 passengers; 66 of which were children. Yeah, we totally fucked that up hard-core.
Tobruk encounter (1989) USA v. Libya. Again. That line. US F-14′s splash their MIGs. Now, stay. Good Libya.
Invasion of Panama (1989–1990) USA v. Panama dictator Manuel Noriega because he’s an evil cunt. No, not really. It was because he wouldn’t play ball with the US and the CIA. He was a drug lord anyway so fuck him.
Gulf War (1990–1991) USA & Allies v. Iraq because Saddam Hussein needed his dick slapped the fuck back out of Kuwait, a US & EU ally.
Iraqi No-Fly Zone Enforcement Operations (1991–2003) USA v. Iraq, because every now and then we had to go blow up some of their shit and keep them in their place.
First U.S. Intervention in the Somali Civil War (1992–1995) USA & Allies v. Somalia because why not? Lots of shooting, lots of dead, and nothing accomplished. The war is STILL going on.
Bosnian War (1992–1995) USA v. Bosnian, post USSR dictators because the US/NATO won’t act until AFTER the genocides...
Intervention in Haiti (1994–1995) USA v. Haiti, because damn it, we’ll restore your democratically elected government and put down that coup... for a price...
Kosovo War (1998–1999) USA and a fuck ton of allies v. Russia-backed Yugoslavia because human rights violations are for US southern CSA states only, fuckers. We sort of won this ‘contest’.
Operation Infinite Reach (1998) USA v. Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, because fuck those ‘towelheads’ we helped push out the Russians! How dare they turn on us imperialists when we treat them like peasants and shit on them? What nerve! How will Big Pharma keep up their poppy fields now? This means war...
THE 21st CENTURY
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
2003 invasion of Iraq (2003) & Iraq War (2003–2011)
War in North-West Pakistan (2004–present)
Second U.S. Intervention in the Somali Civil War (2007–present)
Operation Ocean Shield (2009–2016) USA v. Somali pirates
International intervention in Libya (2011) Because enough, Qaddafi.
Operation Observant Compass (2011–2017) USA v. Uganda because of terrorist camps
American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present) USA v. ISIS/ISIL in Iraq. Thanks, Obama; right?
American-led intervention in Syria (2014–present) USA v. ISIS/ISIL in Syria where we rounded up lots of ‘terrorist’ fighters.
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
American intervention in Libya (2015–present) USA v/ ISIS/ISIL in Libya. It’s as if the war in Iraq pissed off a ton of people in the region along with Israel’s expansion into Palestine territory over the years... Go figure.
THE TRUMP YEARS
Despite fucking over our allies in Syria and being far too cozy with Putin and Kim Jong Un and other dictators, sympathizing with Nazis in the US and having the KKK in his blood, trumplefuckstick hasn’t actually pushed any “NEW” wars upon the US so far. Sure, we’re in a state of chaos and about to collapse into a failed nation-state into that “shithole country” everyone thinks can’t happen here.
The point is:
“HEY JOE FUCKIN’ BIDEN! I DON’T MEAN TO THROW YOU OFF YOUR GAME HERE BUT WHILE I DO NOT CONDONE VIOLENCE, IT SEEMS THAT AS AMERICANS, IT’S THE ONLY WAY WE DO THINGS HERE TO GET SHIT DONE!”
Still don’t believe me? How about some non-war stuff...
How about EVERY act of white supremacist, KKK driven TERROR on non-whites since the Civil War ended or of the slave owners before them?
How about how our first real “police” in the US were bounty hunters looking for runaway slaves?
How about the Tulsa race massacre when white mobs attacked the black residents and business of the Greenwood District in Tulsa because the good people of Oklahoma didn’t want them “uppity niggers” to be doing as well or better than the white racist fucks were doing. That learned ‘em, didn’t it?
Let’s not forget the anti-union suppression! How about the Herrin Massacre? During a United Mineworkers of America nationwide strike union miners shot at strikebreakers working at the mine. The mine's guards killed three union miners on June 21, and the miners killed 20 strikebreakers and guards on June 22.
What about the Hanapepe Massacre? During a strike of Filipino sugar workers, in an attempt to rescue two hostage strikebreakers police killed 16 strikers, while strikers killed four law enforcement members.
Kent State shootings: During a protest of the bombing of Cambodia at the University, members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire, killing four and injuring nine people.
Jackson State University shooting: After responding to the University due to a growing unrest, officers opened fire on a dorm building and two students (one from a local high school) were killed and twelve were injured.
There are more, to be sure, but Mr. Biden, you ARE correct in one particular field here- gun violence. Look at this list HERE. So many acts of mass shootings going WAY back before Columbine. What’s been done about this by you, the Democrats or Republicans of the piece-of-shit NRA? Fuck-all NOTHING.
Your truth, Mr. Biden- in this instance, gun violence literally achieves NOTHING.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_the_United_States
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_shootings_in_the_United_States#1920s
75 notes
·
View notes
Text
USA State Mottos, Ranked
Epistemic status: Silly post.
Yesterday i realized the 50 states of the US had eclectic and delightful mottos. I’ve ranked them for you from coolest to uncoolest.
1: Ad astra per aspera - Kansas
To the stars through difficulties. This is beautiful and it looks great written out. I am confident Kansas will be the state closest to the stars (after resolving difficulties).
2: Salus populi suprema lex esto - Missouri
Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law. It sounds great, it’s grand, it’s bold, and it’s a wonderful priority.
3: Regnat populus - Arkansas
The people rule. I imagine a time traveler approaching Emperor Nero and saying, ‘I have two words for you....’
4: Labor omnia vincit - Oklahoma
Labor conquers all things. It’s a great attitude towards self-improvement, and i think more phrases should end in omnia vincit.
5: Sic semper tyrannis - Virginia
Thus always to tyrants. The flag clarifies the situation by showing a emperor being stabbed. This is delightfully overaggressive when placed next to Washington’s motto.
6: Excelsior - New York
Ever upward. A nice-sounding word. Definitely sounds like a sword.
7: Esse quam videri - North Carolina
To be, rather than to seem. A pretty cool choice of priority. Not like those videri states with their big gold cufflinks.
8: Dum spiro spero - South Carolina
While I breathe, I hope. A harmonious phrase that celebrates the indefatigable human potential for improvement.
9: Equality before the law - Nebraska
Choosing English instead of a stylish foreign language is a missed opportunity to show off. But this phrase gets better the more you repeat it. I like to imagine that when Nebraskans are cornered by journalists they just bark ‘Equality before the law!’ and close ranks.
10: Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono - Hawaii
The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. It’s in a local language, it’s very beautiful written out, it outlines a plan to benefit the entire ecosystem, and it’s just generally quite radiant.
11: Alis volat propriis - Oregon
She flies with her own wings. Very cool sentiment. Only marked down because the words don’t look quite as cool as omnia does.
12: Dirigo - Maine
I lead. It’s terse, it’s taut, it’s claiming victory out of nowhere, it’s Maine.
13: Live Free or Die - New Hampshire
Penalty for using boring English, but bonus for being the only state to realize you can append ‘or Die’ to any motto.
14: Audemus jura nostra defendere - Alabama
We dare defend our rights! Bonus for being the only state to realize you can prepend Audemus to any motto.
15: Serit ut alteri saeclo prosit - North Dakota
One sows for the benefit of another age. Yes, i know, it kindof sounds like ‘Search for the altered sequin among the prosaic’, but the meaning is quite cool. Radical long-game altruism.
16: Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice - Michigan
If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you. What??
17: Eureka - California
I have found it. A counterpoint to Maine’s Dirigo, and a geographical counterpoint as well.
18: Equal Rights - Wyoming
A wonderful priority, and charmingly bald phrasing.
19: Alki - Washington
By and by. This is Chinook, apparently. Washington is apparently the opposite of Alabama, who dares to defend.
20: Crescit eundo - New Mexico
It grows as it goes. I don’t like it as much as Ad astra per aspera, but i decided to rank all improvement mottos evenhandedly to avoid bias from the order i read them in.
21: Esto perpetua - Idaho
Let it be perpetual. It is quite verbally beautiful and it captures what we were all thinking - Let Idaho be the same forever!
22: Friendship - Texas
Could be phrased more stylishly, but it really is a rather nice motto.
23: Under God the people rule - South Dakota
I imagine a South Dakotan time traveler in 1300 CE pulling her hair and saying, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s not that hard, how many times to i have to explain the hierarchy?’
24: Montani semper liberi - West Virginia
Mountaineers are always free. Cheeky!
25: Deo gratiam habeamus - Kentucky
Let us be grateful to God. Very resonant words. Less focused on improvement and more remarking on the fact we made it this far.
26: State sovereignty, national union - Illinois
I know it’s confusing, but we put it in the motto and eventually you’ll get used to the concept. What a nerdy motto!
27: Nil sine numine - Colorado
Nothing without Providence. What beautiful and assonant words. A theme of several states is ‘The big thing is totally paramount, but the small thing is also cool just in a secondary sort of way.’
28: Forward - Wisconsin
In its troughs and at new peaks, Wisconsin always wants to do better :)
29: Industry - Utah
I didn’t know that. But it is a cool attitude. They say that most domains of human endeavor require hard work first of all.
30: Wisdom, Justice, Moderation - Georgia
I just think it’s a little boring. But i like prioritizing wisdom.
31: Virtue, liberty, and independence - Pennsylvania
The last two are, like, the same thing.
32: Qui transtulit sustinet - Connecticut
He who transplanted sustains. Apparently this is a phrase from the Vulgate Bible. I’m guessing the Europeans are the ones who transplanted. I like the sonics but i’m not convinced on the sentiment.
33: Fatti maschii, parole femine - Maryland
Strong deeds, gentle words. Note: I found that translation on Wikipedia and i don’t speak Latin so i don’t know if it’s the best one. I think this motto sounds like a humorously awkward compromise and probably seemed offensive from a 1800s-gender perspective as well as from a modern gender perspective.
34: With God, all things are possible - Ohio
Ohions are optimists whereas Coloradons are pessimists.
35: Liberty and prosperity - New Jersey
Tedious ‘list of nice things’ format, but i kindof like looking at New Jersey as a Utopian El Dorado.
36: Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem - Massachusetts
By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty. Sir, can you lower your sword and read me those criteria again?
37: Hope - Rhode Island
Inferior version of Dum spiro spero, but pleasantly minimal.
38: All For Our Country - Nevada
Typical Nevadan slogan, a people known for their radical push for big government and federal power.
39: Agriculture & Commerce - Tennessee
Not really cool enough for a crowd to shout in unison with their hands over their hearts. But at least it celebrates feeding the people i guess.
40: Ditat Deus - Arizona
God enriches. A weird mix of 100% religious and very lukewarm. God is a plus. Never turn down God when you don’t have to pay extra for Him. But the words do sound nice.
41: Stella quarta decima fulgeat - Vermont
May the fourteenth star shine bright. I hope the fourteenth state is a good one. This one has a impressively high style-to-substance ratio.
42: L’etoile du Nord - Minnesota
The star of the North. I’m not that impressed. If Oregon, Texas, and New York had joined in and chosen L’etoile du Ouest, Sud, & Est respectively, then this would have been cool. Pleasantly unique choice of language tho.
43: Virtute et armis - Mississippi
By valor and arms. Suddenly, we are amoral & fighting! Mississippi is apparently the most weapon-themed state.
44: North to the Future - Alaska
It was wise to clarify why North is good. Minnesota would have chosen A star featuring Anchorage.
45: Our liberties we prize & our rights we will maintain - Iowa
I don’t know, it’s just not exciting phrasing. Our lives are of utmost importance, & our safety will be protected. We have wonderful dogs, & we love our cats. Iowa is being maintained. Needs work.
46: Union, justice, confidence - Louisiana
Are these the top 3? Do political attack ads here accuse candidates of being secessionist, lax, and meek?
47: Liberty & Independence - Delaware
Freedom & Self-Direction. Free Will & Autonomy. Adulthood & Unpredictability. Wild & Unleashed.
48: Oro y plata - Montana
Gold & silver. Why should you live in Montana? Cash cash money. Autos deportivos y bling.
49: The Crossroads of America - Indiana
Next.
50: In God We Trust - Florida
Perhaps in Florida, bad things do not happen to good people.
Honorable mentions:
- Justitia Omnibus - Washington DC
Excellent!
- Samoa, Muamua Le Atua - American Samoa
Translation: Samoa, let God be first. (Samoa, imma let you finish...)
- Joannes Est Nomen Ejus - Puerto Rico
Translation: John is his name. Enough said.
(Honestly i changed my mind about the order partway thru typing this but didnt bother to reorder them.)
I think the messy inconsistency of these mottos is fairly beautiful. Despite having no style guide and apparently quite scattered priorities, these 50 governments share open borders and pretty excellent harmony by international standards.
Source: Wikipedia
6 notes
·
View notes
Text
States Tag
Alabama: Do you like the movie Forrest Gump?
never seen it
Alaska: Would you rather deal with 30 days of day or 30 days of night?
Arizona: Can you handle heat well?
no, I get headaches and very grumpy
Arkansas: What are your opinions on Bill Clinton?
I have none, Im British so I don't really follow US politics
California: Who is your favorite actor? Favorite actress?
Actors: James McAvoy, David Tennant, Martin Freeman, all the Marvel guys, a list that goes on and on but my brain has gone blank. Actresses: my brain has gone to mush I cant think of a single actress ughhhhhh
Colorado: Do you smoke weed? What are your opinions on its legalization?
I don't smoke it. I think it should be legalised for medical use only but not for anyone like cigarettes are. My neighbours smoke it so our garden stinks of the stuff constantly
Connecticut: Have you ever had a school shooting at your school?
its not a thing we have to worry about it England
Delaware: Are you usually the first to do something, or are you more of a follower?
neither really, I just do my own thing
Florida: Have you ever been to Disney World?
not in america, I’ve been to Paris
Georgia: Would you consider yourself a southern belle?
no
Hawaii: What would be paradise for you?
right now, to just be alone. I hate living with my parents and the foster kids, especially today they have tested my patience all fucking day im at breaking point
Idaho: What is your favorite way to eat a potato?
jacket, or roasted
Illinois: Did you vote for President Obama (or would you have)?
I would have, yes
Indiana: Do you like corn?
no
Iowa: Are roses your favorite flower?
sunflowers are
Kansas: Do you like the Tin Man, Scarecrow or Cowardly Lion better?
cowardly lion just cause I think thats the one I relate to most
Kentucky: Have you ever been to a horse race?
no, and I don't want to
Louisiana: Have you ever celebrated Mardi Gras?
nope
Maine: Do you like lobster?
nope. I think its disgusting the way they are cooked too
Maryland: Have you ever been to Washington DC?
never been to America
Massachusetts: Are you smart enough to go to Harvard?
I barely passed English and maths gsce so doubt it
Michigan: Have you ever swam in a lake?
when I was a kid
Minnesota: Have you seen Drop Dead Gorgeous?
never heard of it
Mississippi: Do you follow college football?
nah
Missouri: Have you ever convinced someone to show you their private parts?
what the...? nope why would I do that and what has this to do with Missouri?!
Montana: What is the greatest treasure you have ever found?
Nebraska: Do you eat beef?
nope, I don't eat red meat
Nevada: Are you good at card games?
No, and not very interested in them either.
New Hampshire: What are your views on gay marriage?
it should be legal. Im a Christian I have no issue with it. you love who you love. the only thing I don't agree with is gay marriages happening in a church but any other venue go for it.
New Jersey: Do you watch The Jersey Shore?
no, ive seen some of the English version Geordie Shore
New Mexico: Would you consider yourself a hippie?
nope
New York: Have you ever been to New York City? Would you like to?
omg please I desperate to visit New York but im too poor
North Carolina: Are the Panthers your favorite football team?
don't like football
North Dakota: Have you seen Fargo?
eh I saw like one episode of the remake series a few years ago but I don't remember much about it
Ohio: Did you watch The Drew Carey Show?
nope
Oklahoma: What is your favorite musical?
oh man now you're asking the hard questions... Hamilton, Waitress, Dear Evan Hansen, Grinning Man, Six, Beetlejuice, Heathers, Into The Woods... im a massive theatre nerd
Oregon: Did you ever play the Oregon Trail game?
never heard of it
Pennsylvania: Do you watch It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia?
never seen it
Rhode Island: Who is the smallest person you know?
our foster kid
South Carolina: Do you think Aziz Ansari is funny?
I don't know who that is
South Dakota: Who is more interesting: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt or Abraham Lincoln?
everything I know about Washington and Jefferson is from Hamilton
Tennessee: Who is your favorite country singer?
dont know any... Is Dolly Parton country?
Texas: Do you like barbecue or Tex-Mex better?
barbecue
Utah: Do you know anyone who is Mormon?
nope, I don't think its much of a think in UK
Vermont: Do you get the full autumnal colors in the fall where you live?
yes
Virginia: Are you a virgin?
yes
Washington: Do you like grunge?
nope
West Virginia: Do you like the mountains?
I guess yeah
Wisconsin: What’s your favorite kind of cheese?
mozzarella or red leicester
Wyoming: Do you love westerns?
nah
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Describing the American States, in the style of John Oliver.
Alabama- Fighting with Mississippi to be worst at everything.
Alaska- That place a little bit to the left of Canada.
Arizona- If you take that shady parking spot, someone will kill you.
Arkansas- With a town called, “Toad Suck,” what do you expect?
California- The best economy, and the worst natural disasters.
Colorado- The state that would be hands-down better than all the others, if everyone in it could stop being high all the time.
Connecticut- You think about this state so little, I will just wait for you to tell me something significant about it.
Delaware- A place that stopped being important after December 7th, 1787.
Florida- Home of the infamous Florida Man, and every vacationing grandparent that is definitely dead.
Georgia- You may know it as, “Atlanta, and probably others...?”
Hawaii- Where you live if you would rather deal with active volcanoes than the insanity of the continent.
Idaho- Some states have famous landmarks, important histories, or influential figures. This one has potatoes.
Illinois- Their biggest export is U.S. presidents.
Indiana- I went to five people, and nobody said anything other than, “farms.”
Iowa- Everyone campaigns there, for... some reason.
Kansas- Home of so few people, they actually have to share their city with Missouri.
Kentucky- The only thing people enjoy about this state is their chicken.
Louisiana- (Musically) Oh when the waves come crashing in.
Maine- Chief producer of counterfeit Canadian moose.
Maryland- Not pretentious. Better than you.
Massachusetts- Making people hate the Patriots since the turn of the Millennium.
Michigan- It is not their fault they were stuck with Detroit.
Minnesota- Just join Canada and be done with it.
Mississippi- Apparently, nobody ever told them the Confederacy lost.
Missouri- Or, as you may know it, “that arch thing, right?”
Montana- Every person in their largest city could, and this is true, fit inside the Michigan Stadium, and still leave thousands of empty seats.
Nebraska- As uninteresting as the blank page I found when I searched, “interesting things about Nebraska.”
Nevada- Home of Las Vegas and Area 51. Only you can decide which is stranger.
New Hampshire- Being confused with Vermont since... whenever the second one was founded.
New Jersey- Home of Bruce Springsteen, but very much not Born To Run anything.
New Mexico- A state with a disappointingly low alien abduction probability.
New York- Comfortable with people ignoring 99% of the state.
North Carolina- The only things that move forward are the racecars.
North Dakota- ...They know. Stop telling them.
Ohio- Sick of only being noticed for the politics, but not exactly helping themselves.
Oklahoma- The people in this landlocked state are exactly as intelligent as the actual statewide law banning whale hunting.
Oregon- Only noticed enough to say, “actually not Washington.”
Pennsylvania- They almost burned down Philadelphia when the Eagles won something.
Rhode Island- Proof that size does not matter. And neither does your state.
South Carolina- Look, we want you out almost as much as you do.
South Dakota- Making North Dakota jealous of Mount Rushmore, and making everyone else jealous of absolutely nothing.
Tennessee- Producer of music you only seek out to prove it is not actually that good.
Texas- Where Satan goes to punish himself.
Utah- Where you can go out and have a romantic dinner for seven.
Vermont- The first thing to come to mind is Bernie Sanders. There is no second thing.
Virginia- Call them anything except, "Virginians," and they will go to war with you again.
Washington- Somehow totally rained out, 400 days per year.
West Virginia- 1.8 million people, 18 last names.
Wisconsin- Answering the question nobody asked: “Could we sculpt a life-sized cow out of butter?”
Wyoming- The, "why?" is in the freaking name.
36 notes
·
View notes
Photo
Hi all! I’m Rey and I’m here with Andrea!
The TL;DR version is: ex-U.S. marshal who was just a little too trigger happy so she got put on time-out. Now she’s a journalist. Andy’s an old west gunslinger who’s been born into a different era. Above all she’s about putting bad guys behind bars and protecting good people; she’s a hunter. She’s here to kill detain Madden Coyle. And maybe a few others.
I’m always looking for plots and connections! Andy grew up in Valdez so I think there’s potential? Also you can read her super extra bio below. Feel free to hit me up here or on discord at the_revati#8487
THE HUNTER -
⋆ ◦ ° ☾ stella maeve + cisfemale + she/her — have you seen andrea shepard around? this thirty one year old known as the hunter has been hanging out at valdez town square a lot recently. they are a civilian that works as a/n ex -u.s, marshal turned journalist, and they feel vindictive about the gangs. a heteroflexible scorpio, they are tenacious + resourceful, as well as judgmental + destructive. gunpowder, lioness, bruised knuckles × rey. twenty-one+. she/her. PST. × (Madden Coyle’s connection)
tw: death, murder, self- mutilation
BACKSTORY
Her father was a Voloshyn and that meant he was a significant part of the Ukrainian mafia that owned a small corner of the world. His family? They didn’t live in this corner. Though born in Odessa, Ukraine, Andrea was raised by her mother Alice Shepard in the town of Valdez, Colorado. Alice had grown up in Valdez and though she’d spent most of her life in New York working as an art curator when motherhood struck, she decided that returning home - far, far, far away from Odessa - was the best choice for the children. Mikhail was her first born, but her daughter Andrea was born two minutes later. When they were older, Alice would tell them they came into this world holding hands.
Valdez was a decent enough place to grow up. Like any town, it had its dark underbelly. Alice did her best to keep both Mikhail and Andrea away from it, but the two grew up a part of the town as much as anyone else. It’s where Andrea picked her first fight, had her first kiss, got drunk for the first time. And Mikhail? He was her best friend.
For the most part, Andrea and Mikhail didn’t see their father. The holidays were the exception and dinners were always silent when Alexi Voloshyn sat at the head of the table. There was a shock in this pattern when the twins turned 11. Summer break rolled around and, all of a sudden, Mikhail was whisked off with Alexi to spend the summer in Odessa. Ever summer after that was the same. Mikhail would leave in the dead of night and Andrea would get left behind. It became increasingly obvious before long that Alexi was grooming Mikhail to step into his shoes with the mafia. The young girl grew increasingly bitter about this tradition with the passing of each halcyon season. Mikhail would return just in time for school to start with nothing but a “It was fine” as a reply to Andrea’s “Well? How was it?”
It’s not that Andrea wanted her own hand in the criminal underworld of Europe - she was too young to understand that - she just wanted to be taken as seriously as her brother. She began to act out as a cry for attention - but all attempts went ignored. A stray comment from Alexi about marrying her off one Christmas dinner set off the final fuse. Andrea was 15 and at peak teenage rebellion. Without blinking, she grabbed the carving knife from the ham in front of her, and cut off her own ring finger. She tried not to cry when she did it and felt immensely betrayed by the three tears that managed to leak out during the act. The entire thing was very much a ‘fuck you’ to the path that had been laid out for her. It was very much supposed to be a ‘fuck you’ to her father. He wanted her to get married? Fuck that. Ring finger? Gone. Now she could never get married.
Instead of reacting with anger or fury, her father simply looked at this act of defiance and laughed. In her 15 years it was probably the first time Andrea heard such a sound. It was a warm, accepting laugh. As the family doctor stitched and patched her up, Alexi finally conceded that Andrea could join them in Odessa next summer. The young woman learned that acts of self-destruction as loyalty held a certain sort of esteem in her father’s eyes.
Sure enough, Andrea went to the Port of Odessa the next summer. It’s where she learned how to fire a gun, worked as a hired hand on a ship, saw her first dead body. She’d been brought along but it was Mikhail that Alexi continuously sent into the fray. It was Mikhail that went on the ride alongs and once again it was Andrea that was left behind. You’d think a father would be more precious with the life of his son but, again, acts of self-destruction as loyalty held a certain sort of esteem in Alexi’s eyes. One cold night, a deal went south and shots were fired. Andrea heard about it from one of her father’s friends the next morning. She heard that while Mikhail’s body had been found, Alexi’s was conveniently missing. Whispers floated that her father had managed to flee the scene. Any sadness Andrea had for her brother was swept away with the resounding notion that her father was a fucking coward.
Andrea returned home to Alice alone. The two boarded up Alice’s childhood home and moved to New York. That was Andrea’s tipping point. At her mother’s insistence she applied to colleges in New York and wound up settling on pursuing a political science degree at Columbia. There was an intense irony to the fact that Andrea was quickly falling into a path carved out for law enforcement, but the second she noticed it, she leaned into it. It was another ‘fuck you’ to the memory of her father. More than that, she had a knack for it in a way that she a knack for nothing else.
Andrea joined the NYPD fresh out of college and quickly climbed the ladder to the rank of deputy sheriff. In the police department, she finally found the family she’d been searching for. In Sheriff William Kolstad, she found the brother she had lost. Alas, Sheriff Kolstad was a good man and good men don’t last long on the force.
Only a few months into her time with the PD, Kolstad was murdered in cold blood. The incident turned Andy’s vision red. She was 21 and full of fire. She hadn’t been able to do anything about her brother... but for William? She’d find it in her track down whomever was responsible.
Madden Coyle, eighteen years old was found guilty and placed on death row for the murder of an on duty police officer in cold blood. Andrea didn’t blink an eye. The loss of Kolstad left her affected and, in the same way she handled her brother’s death, she decided that packing up and moving was the right way to cope with things. She asked to be relocated and, as a result, was shipped off the Glynco, Georgia to become a firearms instructor at the U.S. Marshal’s training center.
She was in Georgia when she heard that Coyle had gotten out on a technicality. She heard of the ruling by way of a ping to her cellphone in the middle of class and the young woman came to a full stop at the mere sight of it. It possibly right then that Andrea decided to transition from an instructor to marshal.
During her time with the Marshal’s service, Andrea was assigned to several different field offices across the U.S. She gained a reputation for being trigger happy and was thus stationed in increasingly remote stations. Alice passed during Andrea’s time in the Fairbanks office and due to poor weather conditions it was a week before Andrea got the news. Alice had left Andrea the house in Valdez, Colorado.
Her life continued in other ways. During the day she would do her job, and at the night she would come back to the husband she’d met during her time on the NYPD. For a while, life was right. When Andrea caught whiff that Alexi Voloshyn was making the journey from the Port of Odessa to the Port of New Orleans, Andrea caught the first flight she could to Louisiana.
Cut to: two weeks later. Andrea. Run out of New Orleans by the Ukrainian mob for publicly killing Alexi Voloshyn. Out of a desire to avoid scandal and a fear for her safety, her Chief Deputy decided that it was time for Andrea to take a sabbatical. It was time for her to go home.
Andrea had no interest in hanging up her badge. She fucking despised the thought of it. She was ready to contest, she was ready to fight back. But as fate would have it, Andrea caught word through the grapevine that Madden Coyle was based in Valdez, Colorado. Any protests to the suggestion died in her throat. She took the sabbatical, left her gun and her badge, and made her way back home. She intended on going alone, deciding that she’d make the trip, handle Coyle, come back. To her surprise, her husband was looking for a change as well and so Andrea and her husband into the old estate her mother left for her.
Valdez came with its own obstacles. The gangs infested the town and Andrea did her best to stay above it. When her partner strayed, Andrea kicked him out and never looked back. For her, it was as simple at that. Andrea had a rigid view for most things. While others saw the world in shades of grey, she saw it in shades of black and white.
Now, Andrea lives alone with the occasional roommate that comes and goes. She keeps most of the estate boarded up and only really uses the parts she needs. To keep herself from going stir-crazy, she has taken up a part-time job as a freelance journalist. Old habits die hard though - hunting is in her bones. She plans on cleaning up this town.
PERSONALITY / OTHER
an old-west gunslinger born into a different era
trigger happy
deep seeded anger towards the criminal underworld of this city. All about putting bad people behind bars and protecting good people.
holds a mother-fucking grudge like no other. See: 10 year vendetta against Madden Coyle.
methodology: shoot it before it shoots me.
honestly, if she wasn’t wearing a badge “back in the day” she’d be pretty close becoming an outlaw herself. She walks a dangerous line but shhhh we don’t talk about that
is no-nonsense
If you missed it in her bio, she’s missing her ring finger. She cut it off herself cause she didn’t want to get married. Ever. She always wears a glove on her left hand.
forgets to eat. Survives on a diet of scotch and gummy bears.
has two facial expressions: scowling or smiling slyly
is angry. Always. Keeps it bottled up. Always.
crime never sleeps and neither does she.
likes crossword puzzles
plays the saxophone and the piano. A fan of jazz music.
“I think she had fun, once” - the gas-station lady
also has a goldfish that she keeps forgetting to feed it’s a wonder it’s still alive.
“Call me Andy.”
WANTED CONNECTIONS
I’m down to get creative with any of these! Also, I love angst???
Housemate - There is too much room in her parents estate for her live there alone. Andy’s put up a “for rent” sign with the intention of renting out one of the rooms to another Valdez citizen. (taken)
Former friends, exes, frenemies - Maybe she lost touch with them, maybe she didn’t. If your character grew up in Valdez, there’s the chance they knew each other. Maybe they had sleepovers, maybe they were childhood enemies, maybe they dated. Bonus points if they lead lifestyles she disapproves of now! (open)
Siblings - Andy and Mikhail were Alice and Alexi’s oldest, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have had other younger siblings. Also open to having Alexi have had other affairs. (open)
The Hunted - they’ve crossed paths in the past and she’s got a vendetta against them (open)
Ex-husband - He joined the criminal underworld. She left him. Simple as that. (open)
Co-worker - Other “journalist” friends. (open)
And literally anything else.
6 notes
·
View notes
Text
Do The Republicans Control The Senate
New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/do-the-republicans-control-the-senate/
Do The Republicans Control The Senate
The Gop Has Yet To Land A Single Top Recruit To Run For The Senate Anywhere In The Country
Republicans maintain control of the House and the Senate
The surest way that Republicans can stop whatever legislative agenda President Biden has in mind after the 2022 midterm elections is to win a majority in the US Senate.
Even more than the House, a simple majority in the Senate could let Republicans gum up everything from gun control legislation to Supreme Court nominations.
On paper, it seems easy enough. Republicans need to win just a single seat in order to flip the 50-50 Senate and possibilities for doing so are all over the map. Given that midterm elections often benefit the party out of power, and Democrats control two out of three levers of the federal government, Republicans wouldnt be overly optimistic in assuming Mitch McConnell might soon rule the Senate again.
But here is the thing about the GOPs chances: At this early stage, they are having problems getting good candidates to sign up. And while the historical trends look good for Republicans you cant win something with nothing.
Republicans have yet to land a single top recruit to run for the Senate anywhere in the country even in places where they have an opportunity to flip a seat and a good candidate could make all the difference.
In Nevada, Republicans are pinning their hopes on getting former state attorney general Adam Laxalt in the race to challenge Masto, who won in 2016 by just 3 percentage points. So far, Laxalt has not announced plans to run and he comes with baggage: he lost a bid for governor in 2018.
Arkansas: Mark Pryor Vs Tom Cotton
In a stunning blow to Democrats, Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., beat two-term Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor, the first Senate Democrat to lose his seat this election cycle.
Pryors loss is a major upset to Democrats who were hoping to hold onto the seat and keep Republicans from taking control of the Senate. Pryor comes from a popular political family in the state. His father, David Pryor, represented Arkansas in the U.S. Senate and served as the states governor. The family maintains close ties with the Clintons, a connection that prompted former President Bill Clinton to campaign on Pryors behalf on multiple occasions.
But Cotton, a one term congressman and former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was able to break through Pryors deep political connections in the state. Throughout the campaign, Cotton, 37, repeatedly tied Pryor to President Obama, whose favorability has reached an all-time low, and stressed issues related to national security, including how the administrations is dealing with ISIS, on the campaign trail.
Kayleigh Mcenany Is Gaslighting America
Washington, DC President Donald Trump made a prediction about the GOP’s control of the Senate at a fundraiser this week, privately telling donors that it will be “very tough” for Republicans to keep control of the chamber in the upcoming election, namely because Trump refuses to support some senators, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.
Recommended Reading: Did Donald Trump Really Say Republicans Are Dumb
Buzzfeed News Has Journalists Around The Us Bringing You Trustworthy Stories On The 2020 Elections To Help Keep This News Freebecome A Member
McConnell used his power as majority leader to great effect, stonewalling bills passed in the House by both Democrats and Republicans. Rather than vote down those bills in the Senate, McConnell simply ignored them, never letting them go to a vote. Over the four years of Trumps term, McConnells Senate has hardly passed any substantial legislation, despite Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress for the first two of those years. A Republican tax cut bill in 2017 and a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill in 2018 were among the rare exceptions.
Instead, McConnell focused on confirming conservative judges. He was able to confirm 218 federal judges to lifetime appointments under Trump, including three Supreme Court justices. A lot of what weve done over the past four years will be undone, sooner or later, by the next election, McConnell said last month during the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. They wont be able to do much about this for a long time to come.
McConnells disinterest in passing legislation enraged Democrats and also drew frustration from some Republicans in the House and the Senate.
Democrats will be under intense pressure to do away with the legislative filibuster, which requires 60 votes to actually get to a vote on a bill. The filibuster means Democrats will need to get at least 10 Republicans to support any bill they want to pass.
Four Flips For Democrats One For Republicans
Going into the election, the Democrats held 47 seats in the U.S. Senate while the Republicans held 53.
The Democrats have succeeded in flipping four seats: in Colorado, where former Governor John Hickenlooper easily ousted incumbent Cory Gardner, in Arizona, where former astronaut Mark Kelly defeated incumbent Martha McSally, and in Georgia, where Raphael Warnock defeated incumbent Kelly Loeffler and Jon Ossoff defeated incumbent David Perdue.
The Republicans have wrested back one previously Democratic seat in Alabama, where one-term incumbent Doug Jones was emphatically denied a second term by Tommy Tuberville, a former college head football coach, most recently at the University of Cincinnati.
Outgoing freshman Sens. Jones and Gardner were both considered vulnerable, as each was elected with less than 50% of the vote in 2018.
Republican Thom Tilliss victory over Cal Cunningham in North Carolinaby less than 2 percentage points according to the North Carolina Secretary of States latest tallyis one of several close Senate races that were not called until after election night. In addition to the seats from Georgia, close races also include the victories of incumbent senators Gary Peters and Susan Collins , which were not called until Nov. 4.
Read Also: Trump Calls Republicans Idiots
Collins Says Gideon Called To Concede
Senator Susan Collins of Maine told supporters on Wednesday that her Democratic opponent, Sara Gideon, had called her to concede the race. Without taking Collinsâ seat, Democrats have little change of claiming the Senate majority.
âI have news for everyone. I just received a very gracious call from Sara Gideon conceding the race,â Collins told supporters on Wednesday afternoon.
Collins, one of the more moderate members of Senate, was considered particularly vulnerable this year. If she had received under 50% of the vote, the race would have proceeded to a runoff, under Maineâs system of ranked-choice voting.
Gideon significantly outraised Collins, and hit the senator repeatedly for voting to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
United States Senate Elections 2016
New HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaWest Virginia
Elections to the U.S. Senate were held on . A total of 34 of the 100 seats were up for regular election. Those elected to the U.S. Senate in the 34 regular elections on November 8, 2016, began their six-year terms on January 3, 2017.
Control of the Senate was up for grabs again in 2016. In order to take the chamber back, Democrats needed to gain five seats in 2016, but they fell short, picking up only two seats. Ultimately, Republican senators proved to be far less vulnerable than predicted. Some reasons for the predicted vulnerability are as follows. The majority of seats up for election were held by Republican incumbents, many of whom were freshmen who were swept into office in the Tea Party wave of 2010. Additionally, the Senate election coincided with a presidential election, which has been a boon to Democratic candidates in the past decade. Democrats had made gains in the Senate in the last two presidential elections, while they had suffered losses in the years between.
HIGHLIGHTS
The Democratic Party gained two seats in 2016, resulting in a 52-48 majority for Republicans. The two independent members of the Senate are included in the Democratic totals, as they caucus with Democrats.
100 100
You May Like: How Popular Is Trump Among Republicans
What Are Senate Special Elections And Why Do They Happen
A special election may happen for any Senatorial seat and is sometimes referred to as a bye-election. State Senators have two-year terms. In some cases, a Senator steps down from office before their term ends. A Senate special election refers to an election to fill a vacant Senate seat between a general election.
In some instances, such as in Georgia, the state Governor appoints an interim Senator to fill the vacant seat until the next general election. In other cases, special elections begin at the time an officeholder vacates their seat.
How Long Will It Last
Republicans keep control of the House and Senate
The Republican hold on its power in the 50-50 split is just as tenuous. The Republicans radical pro-Trump faction could drive more moderate lawmakers out of the party, which would disrupt the balance of power and weaken the GOP. Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski recently floated the idea of abandoning the party. This would presumably make her an independent; she told Alaska Public Radio that she would not join the Democratic Party.
In 2001, after just four months of being in place, the power-sharing agreement was dismantled when Vermont Republican Senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party and joined the Democrats, giving them true majority control.
Since the deal was only in place for four months, it never really got tested in the way it might have had things gone on longer with tougher issues, said Verdery. On paper, it looked pretty good and it worked fine, but it was only in effect for a short period of time.
Should there be no disruptions, the agreement negotiated between Schumer and McConnell this year would last until 2023. How it will look and how well it will work has yet to be tested.
There probably will be a power-sharing agreement that will be a very lame version of what was produced in 2001, said Steve Smith, a professor of political science at Washington University in St Louis. Those were different times.
You May Like: Did Any Republicans Vote To Impeach Trump
What Republican Senate Control Means For America
One of the most important memes of political intellectual culture today is that the Republicans are no better than the Democrats.;;Conservatives express this vividly in the notion of RINOs .;;Is this historically true?;;More specifically, what might a Republican-controlled Senate mean for American life beginning in 2015?
Since 1980, Republicans have controlled the Senate from 1981 until 1987, from 1995 until 2000, and from 2003 until 2007.;;The largest majority for Republicans was 55, held 1997 to 2001 and again in 2005 to 2007.;;If electing Republicans to the Senate makes no difference, then we should be able to see in the past 30 years that Republican control of the Senate renders no meaningful difference in several areas — among them poverty, unemployment, and the deficit.;
Poverty
The United States experienced the most dramatic reduction in poverty from 1996 to 2000.;;Poverty in the United States fell to an astounding level of 11 percent.;;Why?
This is an important question, given that poverty is over 15% today and we are approaching the 50th anniversary of a war on poverty.;;The Welfare Reform Act of 1995, compelled by a Republican Senate against the wishes of Democratic President Clinton, ushered in the era of big government being “over.”
Unemployment
The Deficit
Ben Voth is an associate professor of communication and director of debate at Southern Methodist University.
Poverty
Unemployment
The Deficit
How Will Democrats Control Of An Evenly
While Democrats will have some advantages controlling the 50-50 Senate, their majority could also be quite complicated.
Georgia certified election results Tuesday confirming the victories of Georgia Democratic Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to the US Senate. Their arrival in the Senate splits the partisan makeup in the chamber equally between 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, a divide that has occurred only three times before in the nations history.
Warnock and Ossoff are expected to be sworn in this week after defeating former Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, respectively, in a pair of dramatic January 5 runoff elections in the southern state of Georgia that determined control of the Senate. Under the US Constitution, the vice president, in his or her constitutional role as Senate president, has the power to break tie votes, so Democrats will technically control the chamber when Democrat Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is sworn in on January 20.
Although the slim Democratic control is good news for incoming President Joe Biden, it raises many questions about how the Senate will operate and perform its most basic functions. The split comes at a time in which the country is deeply divided following four years of President Donald Trump and days after a deadly insurrection attempt that his supporters made against the US Capitol building in Washington, DC on January 6.
Read Also: Why Do Democrats And Republicans Hate Each Other
What Does That Mean To Joe Biden
The narrow Democratic majority will help Joe Biden as he tries to fill out his Cabinet and pass an agenda headlined by a coronavirus relief package.
The Senate also has to set a structure for an impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump.
The House charged him with inciting an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 but has not yet sent the impeachment article to the Senate.
Biden hopes the Senate can spend part of its time on the impeachment trial while still confirming executive branch nominees.
Divided Government In The United States
In the United States, divided government describes a situation in which one party controls the executive branch while another party controls one or both houses of the legislative branch.
Divided government is seen by different groups as a benefit or as an undesirable product of the model of governance used in the U.S. political system. Under said model, known as the , the state is divided into different branches. Each branch has separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with the powers associated with the others. However, the degree to which the president of the United States has control of Congress often determines their political strength – such as the ability to pass sponsored legislation, ratify treaties, and have Cabinet members and judges approved.
Early in the 19th century, divided government was rare, but since the 1970s it has become increasingly common.
Recommended Reading: What Name Did The Democrats Give Southerners Who Became Republicans
Who Controls The Senate 2021
5:59 ET, Jan 21 2021
THE Democrats are now officially in charge of the Senate – but only by the narrowest of margins.
That means President Joe Biden has inherited a Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and Senate.
* Read our Donald Trump impeachment live blog for the very latest news and updates on the former president…
Isan Control Of Congress
This table shows the number of Congresses in which a party controlled either the House, the Senate, or the presidency.
Party
^U.S. Senate: Party Divisions
^The Anti-Administration Party was not a formal political party but rather a faction opposed to the policies of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. The faction eventually coalesced into the Democratic-Republican Party.
^The Pro-Administration Party was not a formal political party but rather a faction supportive of the policies of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. The faction eventually coalesced into the Federalist Party.
^ abThough Washington never formally joined a party, he was broadly sympathetic to the coalition which later became the Federalist Party.
^Washington disapproved of formal political parties and refused to join either party, though he became a symbol of the Federalist Party.
^Adams won election as a Democratic-Republican, but he sought re-election as a National Republican.
^Whig President William Henry Harrison died April 4, 1841, one month into his term, and was succeeded by John Tyler, who served for the remainder of the term. Tyler had been elected as vice president on the Whig ticket, but he became an independent after the Whigs expelled him from the party on September 13, 1841.
^Whigs held their only trifecta from March 4, 1841 until later that year when the Whigs expelled Tyler from the party on September 13 and he became an Independent.
^
Also Check: How Many Registered Republicans In Alabama
Democrats Take Control Of Senate With Twin Georgia Victories
Democrats will have a narrow control of the U.S. Senate. The chamber will be split 50-50, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris having a tiebreaking vote. Patrick Semansky/APhide caption
toggle caption
Democrats will have a narrow control of the U.S. Senate. The chamber will be split 50-50, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris having a tiebreaking vote.
Democrats took exceedingly narrow control of the Senate on Wednesday after winning both runoff elections in Georgia, granting them control of Congress and the White House for the first time since 2011.
Democrat Jon Ossoff defeated Republican David Perdue, according to The Associated Press, making him the youngest member of the U.S. Senate and the first Jewish senator from Georgia. Earlier Raphael Warnock, a pastor from Atlanta, defeated GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler after a bitter campaign. Warnock becomes the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from a Southern state.
The Senate will now be split 50-50 between the two parties, giving Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tiebreaking vote.
Loading…
Ossoff had a narrow lead Wednesday morning when he declared victory.
“It is with humility that I thank the people of Georgia for electing me to serve you in the United States Senate,” he said.
Perdue has not conceded.
Impact on Biden agenda
0 notes
Note
13 21 23 24 37 44 54 60 67
13. I answered this on the previous answer, but I am good at fangirling over Madagascar and also editing things, making fanmade posters, etc.
21. I was born in a hospital so yes.
23. I don’t think I have met any actors or singers; but I have met a lot of politicians. I have met the former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia who at that time was still the Deputy Prime Minister, the current Deputy Prime Minister (I just realised how many Deputy Prime Ministers I have met), a lot of ministers, a lot of deputy ministers, the Chief Minister of Selangor, Kedah, and probably more, the Excos of a lot of states, the head of political parties PAS and PKR (both are opposition parties but hey! I met them!), and a whole lot more :3
24. Showers
37. Are you a friend from Discord who’s teasing me about me and swearing here? Btw if you’re not, I answered this on the previous answer.
44. For my native language, Malay, I speak in a normal accent, with some words from the Terengganu dialect and sometimes people get confused when talking to me cause they don’t understand those words. For English, I don’t have a distinct accent, but then my way of pronouncing things leans towards the British way of things, and sometimes if I talk to myself I realise that I end up speaking in a similar to British accent.
54. Messy. Very messy. If you come into my room now there are probably some dirty laundries on the floor and I don’t pick them up until someone tells me to cause I am too lazy :3
60. Aah yes I do. Often. Very often. Like… all the time basically…
67. Ummm… Well I am not an American, but lemme see…
(forgive me if I am wrong but)
Florida
Washington
San Diego
California
Ohio
Texas
South Dakota
North Dakota
Alaska
West Virginia
Colorado/Denver (I can’t remember which is the state)
Alabama
Kansas
Hawaii
And I think that is all that I know, some of them might even be outside America, idk but I think those are all American states :3
I can however, name the 14 states of Malaysia and also describe their flags, their full state names, their coat of arms, but I don’t think that’s what you want.
Thanks for asking ^^
2 notes
·
View notes
Link
via Politics – FiveThirtyEight
Welcome to Pollapalooza, our weekly polling roundup.
Poll of the week
Let’s keep things simple this week: Morning Consult just released its latest edition of President Trump’s approval ratings by state. We know generally that Trump is less popular overall than at the start of his term. But there are pretty wide variations in how much his popularity has shifted by state.1
1. Trump’s net approval has declined in all 50 states since he took office
This isn’t totally surprising, as Trump’s net approval rating — the percentage of people who approve of the president minus the percentage who disapprove — has declined nationally since January 2017. But it’s still noteworthy. It often seems as if American politics is split between two immutable camps: Trump loyalists and Trump haters, and neither group ever changes its mind about anything. But the data here suggests more fluidity — and in Trump’s case, the movement is against him. Trump does have near-ironclad support (close to 90 percent approval, according to Gallup) among self-described Republicans nationally. But a Gallup poll conducted last year found that only about 40 percent of U.S. adults identify themselves as either Republicans or leaning toward the GOP. So that remaining 60 percent of the U.S. that identifies as Democrats and independents is likely where Trump has grown more unpopular.
How Trump’s net approval rating has changed, by state
Net Approval state Jan. 2017 May 2018 CHANGE New Mexico +17 -14 -31 Illinois +9 -22 -31 New York +8 -21 -29 D.C. -31 -58 -27 Utah +27 0 -27 Vermont -2 -27 -25 Delaware +8 -17 -25 Washington +1 -23 -24 Oklahoma +34 +11 -23 Massachusetts -4 -26 -22 Connecticut +5 -16 -21 Montana +24 +3 -21 Oregon +2 -19 -21 Rhode Island -4 -24 -20 Kentucky +34 +15 -19 Arizona +20 +2 -18 Minnesota +3 -15 -18 New Jersey +2 -16 -18 Ohio +14 -4 -18 Wisconsin +6 -12 -18 Alaska +24 +7 -17 Colorado +1 -16 -17 Florida +22 +5 -17 North Dakota +23 +6 -17 Nebraska +23 +6 -17 Arkansas +30 +13 -17 Michigan +8 -9 -17 Kansas +24 +8 -16 New Hampshire +1 -15 -16 Iowa +9 -7 -16 North Carolina +18 +2 -16 Texas +20 +5 -15 California -6 -21 -15 Indiana +22 +8 -14 Manie +8 -6 -14 Missouri +19 +5 -14 Pennsylvania +10 -4 -14 Virginia +8 -6 -14 Tennessee +33 +20 -13 Hawaii -13 -26 -13 Idaho +29 +16 -13 Nevada +10 -2 -12 Wyoming +40 +28 -12 Georgia +18 +7 -11 Mississippi +34 +23 -11 South Carolina +25 +14 -11 West Virgina +37 +27 -10 Maryland -13 -20 -7 South Dakota +21 +14 -7 Alabama +36 +30 -6 Louisana +31 +25 -6
Source: Morning Consult
The states where Trump’s numbers have tanked the most among registered voters are fairly liberal: Illinois and New Mexico. But even in Louisiana, where Trump has seen the smallest decline, he has dipped 6 percentage points in net approval (from 59 percent approve, 28 percent disapprove in January 2017, to 60-35 in May 2018).
All that said, Trump’s approval declining in every state isn’t as bad for the president as you might think. According to Gallup, Obama’s approval rating dropped in all 50 states from 2009 to 2010, again as part of his general decline in popularity. Most presidents’ popularity peaks as they start their tenures.2
2. Trump has seen big declines in some red states but not others
Eight of the 10 states (I’m treating Washington, D.C., as a state for these purposes.) where Trump’s net approval declined the most are places where the president lost in 2016. But his popularity has plunged more in ruby-red Utah (-27 points), Oklahoma (-23) and Montana (-21) than in swingy Colorado (-17) and blue California (-15). (Trump of course started with pretty lackluster numbers California and Colorado, so he had more room to fall in the red states.) That said, his numbers have held up much better in states such as South Carolina (-11), West Virginia (-10) and South Dakota (-7).
Trump was always politically weak in Utah for a Republican. But I will be curious to see if other polls continue to find the president in such decline in some of these red states. His disapproval rating in Oklahoma is 42 percent, according to Morning Consult; it’s 40 percent in Kentucky. (He won more than 60 percent of the vote in both states in 2016.)
3. The Deep South is stable in its views on Trump
The 10 states were Trump’s numbers are closest to where they were in January 2017 include Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.
I expected this, as these are fairly inelastic states overall, meaning that they have very few swing voters. All five states have large black populations that overwhelmingly vote Democratic and white populations that overwhelmingly vote Republican. Take Georgia, for example: Trump started off there with 53 percent approval and 35 percent disapproval, and it looks like the state’s Democrats have united in hating him over the last 17 months (taking him to 44 percent disapproval) but Republicans haven’t moved, so his approval rate is at 51 percent.
Other polling nuggets
Good news for Democrats in a key battleground state where they lost in 2016. A new Quinnipiac University poll shows U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio well ahead in his re-election race against his Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, 51-34. The same poll showed the Democratic candidate for governor in Ohio, Richard Cordray, effectively tied with his Republican opponent, Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine — Cordray led 42-40.
A Cincinnati Enquirer/Suffolk University poll of Ohio out this week shows similar results, but they are even better for Democrats in the gubernatorial race. In that poll of likely voters, Cordray had a 43-36 lead over DeWine, and Brown had a 53-37 advantage over Renacci.
In Pennsylvania, another key battleground state the Democrats lost in 2016, a new Franklin and Marshall College poll shows Democratic Sen. Bob Casey ahead 44-27 over his challenger, U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta. Gov. Tom Wolf, also a Democrat, had a 48-29 lead in his re-election campaign against his Republican opponent, former state Sen. Scott Wagner, according to this survey.
A YouGov poll found that about half of Americans (including about 3 in 4 Republicans and about 1 in 4 Democrats) support proposals to increase surveillance of American Muslims, including at mosques within the U.S. and at U.S. airports. Those numbers are consistent with YouGov’s findings in July of 2017.
The Republican tax plan that was passed into law in December faces more opposition than support according to a new Public Policy Polling survey. Fifty-one percent of respondents said that the plan would mostly benefit the rich, 30 percent said it would benefit the middle class, and only 7 percent said it would mostly benefit the poor.
About half of Americans believe that within the next 50 years, people will routinely travel to space as tourists, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. Fifty-eight percent, however, said they would not be interested a space vacation, while 42 percent would.
21 percent of registered voters believe that it is legally permissible for the president to pardon himself, according to a poll by Morning Consult; 58 percent believe it is not legal.3
According to a PPP poll, 37 percent of registered voters believe that the FBI put a spy in Donald Trump’s campaign for president, 42 percent believe the agency did not spy on the campaign, and 22 percent are not sure. Predictably, that number is split along party lines, with 60 percent of Republicans believing the assertion, which the president calls “Spygate.”
58 percent of Americans (43 percent of Democrats and 81 percent of Republicans) believe that the U.S. benefits from having a class of rich people, according to a new Gallup poll. That’s a 9-percentage-point decrease in Democrats who believe a rich class is beneficial since 2012. Still, Democrats are just as likely as Republicans to want to be rich.
According to a YouGov poll, a majority of Americans (53 percent) said they know what the letters in “LGBTQ” stand for; 80 percent said they know the meaning of “LGBT,” but only 13 percent said they know “LGBTQIA.” Respondents were evenly divided on the question of whether having a term for people with non-cisgender and non-heterosexual identities is important or not.
71 percent of Americans support allowing people under 30 who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children to stay, according to a Fox News poll. That number remains unchanged since January.
A Pew Research Center study analyzed 102 countries and found an inverse correlation between the GDP of a country and the percent of people who said they pray daily. The U.S., however, is a big outlier — the only country with a GDP of over $30,000 per capita where more than half of the adult population reported praying daily.
Trump approval
The president’s approval (42 percent) and disapproval (52 percent) ratings are about the same as this time last month.
Generic ballot
The Democrats have an 8 percentage-point edge on the generic congressional ballot, up from a 6-point advantage this time last month.
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
Election Day
Notes: Okay, so Election Day in the US came and went, but I was inspired by the results and the polls that came out of it, and also I’m still a bit obsessed and in love with the characters made by @askaphmaine and all, so yeah, here’s a fic about Election Day and the chaos that goes on in the Democratic Caucus while it happens!
Summary: It’s Election Day, November 7th, 2017, and California is head deep in work and organization for the Democratic Caucus’s annual Election Overwatch Session, checking poll numbers and flipping through all news channels even remotely referencing the elections. However, a certain Republican-ish New Englander crosses the party line a bit to join in, and, as usual, trouble soon followed.
Happy reading!
The main Democratic Stateroom lounge was in chaos. TVs were being endlessly flipped to news channels, paper was flying through the air, and as always a million different people were yelling a million different things. On any other day, California would be livid, shouting and trying to control her fellow states lest they break a window like last week, which she had to pay for, mind you. But, this wasn’t any other day. Today was election day.
“Everybody, gather by the big TV! I need all of your attention because I’m going to assign roles for our 2017 election day overwatch committee, or just making sure we don’t completely lose our minds while the polls come in!” California stood on a steady chair and waved for everyone’s attention, which they half heartedly gave to her, if only because today was the one day that they would see if all of their campaigning, endless phone calling, and flyer distribution was effective this time around. They all came close to their Democratic leader and watched anxiously as California went on. “Now, we have TWO main races we’re keeping track on today, but there are many other smaller but no less important elections going on, so some of you will have to divert from the governor races,” -a huge number of them groaned at that, no one wanted to keep track of a city council race again- “However, this is a worthy cause, as we care about ALL potential wins, not just from Virginia and New Jersey.”
At the mention of New Jersey, they all whipped over to the awkwardly standing man in the corner, who waved a bit and leaned against the wall again, kicking the floor and wondering how long this would take. It was a tradition for the states actually doing the election to not go to poll watching parties, on both sides of the political spectrum, really. He knew for a fact that the Republicans were doing the exact same thing on the other side of the building, undoubtedly with more shouting and death threats from Texas, but still with the same panicked hustle and bustle. Virginia would be in an even more awkward situation than him, really, especially since she was at the Republican Caucus watching party, instead of the party thrown by the caucus she was actually in. At least the people here knew he was on their side. Virginia would have to deal with the grudges from 2016 and her possible defect to the enemy. Maybe he should-
“Now, is everyone body clear on what they’re supposed to do? Let me repeat, New England on Jersey, West Coast on small mayors in the south, any mountain states or lake states on Virginia, and all split representatives will follow the Virginia and New Jersey lieutenant governor race and the attorney general race. I want New York on speed dial as soon as polls close for his mayor, and all of you will grab a pamphlet from the back in case you missed the instructions. All other races will be handled by me and their home state, or in today’s case, their closest neighbor, and I want every TV on every news channels even referencing the elections!” She paused for a moment and bent down, hissing at Colorado, “Did I forget anything?”
“Nah, I think you got it all,” Colorado smiled, and California could smell the marijuana from her spot on the chair. Ugh.
“RIGHT! Anytime any winners are projected, put it on the flat screen! And anyone who wants to smoke has to go to the smoking lounge! Some of us haven’t legalized it yet!” A wave of groans followed that, and several states shuffled off to the corner, Colorado happily leading them. “Now MOVE OUT!”
The states did just that, leaving the huddle and most of them grabbing the pamphlet from the back and walking over to their spot. There wasn’t much urgency yet, just panic, but it would grow as the night wore on and more polls closed, as usual. This year, California swore, this year, we’ll get our states back. The room felt almost empty, they only had Colorado, New England, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, Oregon and herself, along with Virginia and DC, both of which were mysteriously absent. And New Mexico and Nevada just went to smoke more weed. Great. Anyway, they had the fewest amount of members than ever, but this election was a reveal to 2018, and then they’ll get all of their states back. They had to.
California quickly left for the New Jersey race corner, where New England was dialing polling stations and watching the news, waiting for the projections, or along with eating as many chips they could smuggle into the lounge.
California was about to ask if CNN had said anything when Vermont looked behind her and paled. What was it now?
“Uh, hi Maine, what’s going on?” Massachusetts almost croaked, and California whipped around, holding her sleek black hair in place in her bun and making sure her blouse was as neat as possible, before facing the last ruffian in the world she wanted to meet.
“Maine, how nice of you to come.” California let the barely disguised loathing sneak into her voice, and the giant of a state shuffled awkwardly in response, cringing at having to interact with the West Coaster and looking at her brothers for help. Not this time, doll. Her turf, her rules.
“I was wondering, if you, um, if you had anyone watching the Maine races.”
“Maine what now?” California raised an eyebrow, putting on a mask of smugness but secretly shuffling through her memory to see if there were any elections going on up there. Was there?
“The one on Medicaid and the mayors and the city councils,” Maine explained, moving farther away and not looking California in the eyes.
Ah yes, there was that referendum to expand Obamacare or Medicare, well, one of the two. Wasn’t very important, really, they hadn’t put that much money into it, but Maine was actually asking if they had a guy on it? Interesting. Things must be falling apart without Texas in the Republican section, it seems. And the weakness of her enemies was always a good thing to learn about.
“Ah, that one. Not a big one, but we do have someone on it, I believe. Let’s see.” She shuffled through her mountain of papers and pamphlets and news articles and donations pledges and god knows what else, but eventually found what she was looking for. “Yes, it seems the referendums and the small, nonconsequential, couldn’t-matter-less elections belong to Delaware!” She gave a mock smile to the already fuming nation, honestly making her angry was beyond entertaining, and motioned for a small kid in overalls to come over.
Delaware approached the two women with a curious look in his blue eyes, wiping away the blue football paint on his cheeks and smiling happily as he stopped in front of the two really not-that-nice ladies.
“Delaware, I need you to escort Ms. Republican over to the place where the referendums are being watched.” Delaware's face immediately crumbled into disappointment, but he perked up when California added, “And if you do this, I’ll move you to the Virginia race.”
“SWEET! That’s the real stuff right there, actual political battles, neck and neck, and as I neighbor I need to-”
“CNN JUST MADE A PROJECTION!” Everyone in the room dropped what they were doing and rushed to the TV, California included, and Delaware was halted mid-sentence as he was suddenly all alone with someone he wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley, or ever, in fact. God that woman freaked him out. Delaware beamed a smile at the Northerner anyway and motioned over to a small room next to the smoking lounge, which was currently vacant as everyone was studying the TV.
Silence reign between them and Delaware quickly grew bored as they just walked towards the room. Just walked! What kind of lunatic just WALKS?! To fix this problem, Delaware started jogging backward and asked Maine, “So why can’t you be with the Republicans?”
Maine stopped dead where she stood, glaring at Delaware until he stopped jogging backward and realized he really shouldn’t have opened his big mouth. Delaware coughed awkwardly and added, “Is it cause they hate you?”
God, he made it worse. Now Maine looked like she wanted to beat him over the head with a chair, not the Delaware knew what that looked like, obviously. “Is it cause you aren’t really a Republican and Alabama is an asshat?” ‘
“Close enough,” Maine sighed, dropping her sudden furious look like a rock and walking even faster towards the room with the old TV showing the referendum results. Delaware hopped inside, plopping down on a chair, immediately whipped his phone out to text West Virginia, and absentmindedly turned on the TV. Maine sat uncomfortably down on a chair to his left, closer to the door. They sat in silence again before Delaware shoved his phone back into his pocket.
“Stupid W.V not answering his phone. Arkansas must’ve taken it, stupid technophobes,” Delaware mumbled before boredom kicked in again almost immediately and he looked at Maine with dangerously bored eyes.
“So, like, why do- Nah, too personal, wait, um, what about- Nah, I don’t want to die today, OH I got one, how come you came here if ya hate California like a rabid dog?”
“Really, that’s the one you went with?” Maine’s mouth quirked up a bit in what might have resembled a smile, and Delaware grinned and replied with the most stuffy voice he could produce.
“Oh, my name is the Republic of California, the best state, and I run the show, cause I’m the only one Texas has angry sexual tension with and I can walk in 12 inch high heels! I hate all birds, and I don’t want nothing in my lobby because of my HAIR!”
Maine started to snicker halfway through and bursted into laughter as soon as the last words left his mouth, doubling over and howling.
“And, a-and I can produce the best milk-” Delaware couldn’t continue because he was laughing too hard, tears forming in his eyes and dropping out of the chair unnoticed by both laughing nations. Finally, the two of them snickered to a stop, Maine covering her mouth to hide her growing smile and Delaware glowing with pride that he made the famous ice queen of the north laugh herself to tears. He was truly the best state of all time.
The commercials ended and the TV anchor went back on, and the two states started watching again. Delaware started fidgeting with a gadget that he always kept around, making sure no one could see the gunpowder peaking out and polishing the metal a bit before he was interrupted from his I-could-blow-up-this-place-if-I-wanted-to train of thought when Maine actually spoke.
“I’m here cause the rest of New England dragged me, and the Republican Caucus took me away as soon as I stepped foot in this building. They don’t really like me though, cause, you know...”
“Susan O’Collins? She’s so awesome. Practically a Democrat, or a Republican with standards,” Delaware quipped, adding one more thing before Maine’s glare made him shut up, “I can tell you as someone who has a friend on the other side that she freaks them out big time.”
“Anyway,” Maine glared, though a bit half-heartedly, “The Republicans didn’t really want me there, so I came here with the rest of New England. Simple as that. Wanted to watch the referendum to get away, mostly.”
“That is so cool! You can just switch sides?! Even though I haven’t had a Republican-held legislature since Reagan, I still have Republican governors and stuff and they won’t let me in at all! They let Maryland in though, and Penn.” He looked down at his gadget thing and quickly changed the subject, saying, “Wait, why don’t you want to stay with your family anyway?”
“Meh. Don’t like ‘em that much. You?”
“I don’t have much of a family, but I love Mary Mary Quite Contrary and Penny and Westie and Jersey Shore and Jane the virgin! They’re pretty cool, and I wish I could find Ms. Virgin Mary for the election, she’s like disappeared! ‘Think she stayed home myself, cause Mary the Lander hates her virgin butt. What about you?”
“Uh, what?”
“Yeah, Virginia is such a douche sometimes, like just let me find you damn it! Doesn’t help that me and Mary the Contrarian like to pull pranks so her; the last thing we did almost blew up her house! Though her puppy is cute, I should get one! I only have a fox name Grey and he hates me.”
“Wait, what did you say about Virginia's house?”
“This is fun, we should talk more often! You know my chicken Button, she tried to talk to the newest-Mexico-in-the-history-of-Mexico last week, but she ended up poking him in the eyes and he had to call the cops like a snitch, so now I have a court order not to bring her into buildings. She’s really sad about that, but she’s happy she can spend more time with Rhode Island’s chicken, Reddie! Though I’m starting to think they’re really really gay because they’re both females but they love to spend time with each other and Button is getting really possessive, so I talked to Rhode Island about it but he said chickens CAN’T be gay, and he usually knows stuff about animals, so he’s probably right. Do you think chickens can be gay?”
“What?” Maine stared in horror and confusion as Delaware went on, changing subjects at the speed of light and laughing at his own jokes every couple of breaths. Maine finally caught up with the conversation when Delaware stopped talking and grabbed the remote to change the channel on the droning TV.
“I didn’t hear anything you just said.”
“No one does. Oh, look, they’re talking about the referendum! Looks like you like Obamacare after all!”
“Medicaid.”
“Meh, close enough. Hey, can I change it to the Virginia race? I really wanna see if Virginia comes on our side permanently so I can get my 10 bucks from Maryland!”
“Sure kid,” Maine smiled, and Delaware went back to watching the TV and trying to reach West Virginia, who eventually picked up and was forced to listen to Delaware’s ranting about Pennsylvania and had to promise he’d punch him in the face for him. He even got some food while they were watching, and they chucked popcorn at Mitch McConnell whenever he showed up while snickering about the Mitch-Turtle Scandal. Some of the New Englanders even joined them as the night wore on and everyone except the ones on monitor duty started to bunker down for the long, long night ahead of them. It was almost, well, fun. Certainly not what Maine had expected when she was dragged out of the house by Vermont, that’s for sure.
Soon, the clocks chimed 12 o’clock, and election night was over. Polls were still rushing in, but at this point, most of the projections were in and all of the Democrats were smiling at the blue map of Virginia and New Jersey. Papers were littered over the floor, and a mountain of crumbs and uneaten snacks were waiting patiently to be cleaned the next day, though a few of the more strict states picked up some trash before leaving the lounge and heading towards their hotel rooms in DC.
California had just finished dumping the pot outside to be decomposed and picking up important papers, trying to rub away the dark circles under her eyes and letting the faint, genuine smile stay on her face. They did it. They won both of the governor races! And so much more! Transgender officials had been elected for the first time in so many places, women had participated in record numbers, not to mention the grass root energy! If this was a preview of 2018, they were in for a very, very good special election. It almost made the anniversary of that day seem less painful. Her blouse was messy, and she had to fix her hair that was loose and draping over her shoulders, but the inner glow that erupted whenever she thought about those hard-won victories made it alright to put off for just a few more minutes. She was about to head out the door when none other than Maine stumbled out of nowhere and followed her to the door, though a considerable length away.
California was still in a great mood from the night, and she decided that just this once, she would cut the frost queen some slack. She waited until Maine shuffled towards the door, tapping her foot and look at her watch in mock impatience, and when she finally reached the door, she opened it out for her and smiled. A real, happy, glowing smile. “Have a good night, Maine.” She ventured as far as to give her a light pat on the back before stepping outside and walking towards her car in the cold, bitter East Coast winds, ignoring the gaping look coming from Maine.
It was November 7th, 2017. Election day. The states had chosen progress, they had chosen to leave the feelings from the previous year behind, they had chosen to fight back. Oh, they were in for quite a year, California smiled, quite a year indeed. In fact, she couldn’t wait until Election Day, 2018.
#I wrote this in class and I regret nothing#I love these characters okay bite me#as usual California is awesome#Delaware is adorable#and maine is scary af#I really hope you're okay with you using your characters btw they're too awesome#aph maine#aph delaware#aph california#aph colorado#aph pennsylvania#aph maryland#aph texas#hetalia#aph#democrats#republicans#aph vermont#aph New England#election day#2017#hetalia politics#hetalia states#sassy's writing#sassy's stash
2 notes
·
View notes
Photo
New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/world/united-states-of-america/john-hickenlooper-thinks-he-can-unite-america-bloopers-and-all/
John Hickenlooper Thinks He Can Unite America, Bloopers and All
ROCHESTER, N.H. — In its 191-year history, the Democratic Party has never nominated a presidential candidate from west of the Central time zone.
Against long odds, John Hickenlooper, the lanky former governor of Colorado, believes he can change that.
“What I’m really good at,” he said recently, sitting in the back seat of his campaign’s Chevy Tahoe, “is what this country most needs right now.”
Since announcing his candidacy for president in early March, Mr. Hickenlooper has stayed at the bottom of the polls, gained just a bump on Twitter and made major news only once, after telling CNN he accidentally watched an X-rated movie with his mother.
He’s a 67-year-old white man in a field of potentially history-making candidates, and he has far less name recognition or fund-raising muscle than former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who announced his official campaign last week. As voters have flocked to the formerly unknown Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind., Mr. Hickenlooper has failed to attract a buzz.
But Mr. Hickenlooper says he is simply waiting for his moment. As governor, he brought together warring factions across the Rockies — environmentalists and oil companies, gun owners and regulators, cities and suburbs — and he’s betting that a candidate from the politically purple, deeply pragmatic Mountain West is exactly what America needs. (To be clear some past Democratic nominees, like John Kerry, were born in the West. But none built their careers in the region.)
“Everybody said it was impossible,” Mr. Hickenlooper told a crowd in a packed bar in Concord, N.H., standing on a pair of stools as he ran through his history of compromise. “Well, it wasn’t.”
Candidates from the Mountain West have long struggled to make it to the White House. Many of their states’ primaries have happened later in the cycle, and because of the region’s vast distances and small populations, they’ve often drawn on less support than their opponents. Colorado, despite its recent boom, is still a state of fewer than six million people.
But Colorado is in many ways a microcosm of America. Split nearly evenly among Democrats, Republicans and independents, it has significant rural and Hispanic populations and has been ground zero for many of the nation’s most contentious debates over guns, climate change, marijuana and more. Mr. Hickenlooper believes his success in the state will help him attract a diversity of voters on the national stage, even as his skeptics warn that Colorado, with its bipartisan spirit, isn’t really a mirror of a nation now pulled apart by partisanship.
In the Chevy Tahoe, shuttling toward his next event, Mr. Hickenlooper spoke about what he called the nation’s “crisis of division” and about identifying “bigger picture places, where we can bring people together.” Among them: untangling bureaucracy and ramping up job training in the face of a shifting economy.
In his stump speech, Mr. Hickenlooper speaks about going “beyond just defeating Donald Trump” and fixing all the ways government isn’t working for Americans.
In New Hampshire, many voters were charmed but not entirely convinced.
“At this point, I’d have to wait and see,” said Patricia Shearin, 54, who wanted Mr. Hickenlooper to speak more urgently about climate change.
“I liked him a lot,” said Michael Behrendt, 63, “but this is not about coming together. This is about defeating a criminal and defeating a party that has lost its way.”
Mr. Hickenlooper, who grew up outside of Philadelphia, moved to Colorado in 1981 to work as a geologist in the oil and gas industry. After opening one of the state’s first microbreweries, he invested in what became a small empire of Midwestern pubs and restaurants.
As governor from 2011 until 2019, he nudged the state to the left, passing universal background checks and civil unions, expanding Medicaid and granting drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants, all while creating one of the top economies in the country. Teen pregnancy plummeted in Colorado while he was in office, thanks to a birth control program, and broadband will soon be available to nearly every city and town in the state. For much of his tenure, he worked with a divided legislature.
His allies say his deal-making skills lie in an ability to force battling factions to the table and then make them feel collectively responsible for a solution. He can also be an incrementalist, they say, demanding that adversaries move — but not too far or too fast.
As a candidate, Mr. Hickenlooper is pushing middle-of-the-road policies: Universal health care, but not a single-payer system. Swift action on climate change, but not the Green New Deal. He says he is likely to put a Republican in his cabinet and would choose a woman as his running mate.
He is also banking on his ability to charm.
He often speaks about growing up as a skinny, dyslexic kid who learned to neutralize bullies with humor; as an adult, he’s turned into his state’s gregarious geek-in-chief. His stump speeches are packed with self-effacing jokes, and friends say his deepest desire is to be liked — to connect with his audience.
This freewheeling personality has won him many a political and business deal. It has also caused him to fumble in ways that might be problematic if he were to get to the White House. He once introduced his lieutenant governor as a “rising sex star,” flubbing a joke in an audience of grade-schoolers, only to make a similar mistake a few days later. (It’s unclear what Mr. Hickenlooper was trying to say, though in the past he had called his deputy both a “rising star” and a “sex symbol.”)
Reporters have called these “Hickenbloopers.” Aides have called it his foot-in-mouth problem.
His skeptics have accused him of hiding behind compromise and using it to avoid taking firm stances on pressing issues. That criticism is sometimes lobbed at him when it comes to the environment.
As governor, Mr. Hickenlooper developed some of the country’s strictest oil and gas regulations, passed a first-in-the-nation methane capture rule and helped to make Colorado one of just 10 states to receive more than 20 percent of its electricity from renewables. On the campaign trail, he speaks often about the economic and moral incentive to move fast on climate change.
But among critics, he’s been known as “Frackenlooper” for years. Oil production in Colorado hit a record during his administration, and some environmentalists have faulted him for not doing more to reign in the industry that once employed him.
In 2014, when a left-of-center contingent pushed for a measure that could have significantly limited drilling, Mr. Hickenlooper brokered a deal to keep the proposal off the ballot. As part of the agreement, he formed a commission that would examine contentious oil and gas issues.
His allies called it a brilliant compromise. With climate action stalled, they say, a president who can push Republicans and industry to act is exactly what the country needs.
“He got me in my industry to do things I never thought were possible,” said Tisha Schuller, a former president of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association.
Some, though, accused him of subverting democracy. With the United Nations predicting that dire effects of climate change are just over a decade away, they say, compromise is not enough.
“If he is staking himself as the climate change candidate because of what he did in Colorado,” said Kelly Ohlson, a former mayor of Fort Collins, Colo., “we’re all in trouble.”
Right now, the biggest question hanging over Mr. Hickenlooper seems to be whether America is even interested in the consensus he claims he can achieve.
“Am I going be able to get that message out?” he asked, before climbing out of his campaign SUV and heading into a packed bar, where a crowd awaited.
“Am I going to raise enough money to — can I find the slogan that encapsulates it in some way? That, in this modern, sound-bite world, catches it? We’ll see.”
#france v usa team news#kusi news san diego#us news rankings law school#usa news 24/7#usa news podcast#usa news vs north korea
0 notes
Text
Dark Horse BUYS
So, PredictIt still has the same list of candidates as it did the last time I looked. However, there are a number of candidates for whom no shares are currently available who, IMHO, have at least a non-zero chance of winning the Democratic nomination. Here they are, listed in order of plausibility:
Eric Garcetti:
PROS:
He is the mayor of Los Angeles, the second largest city in the country, which has more a larger population than 20 states.
He is actively running for president.
He was born and raised in a political family and knows what running for office is like.
He has Mexican, Jewish, and Italian ancestry.
CONS:
He’s not as well known as a lot of other people in the primary.
Kamala Harris is going to eat up all of his oxygen in California.
Tulsi Gabbard:
PROS:
The telegenic Hawai’ian U.S. representative has a high profile.
She is an Iraq War veteran who came home to represent the good people of Honolulu on the City Council and in the U.S. House.
She is a woman of color and a practicing Hindu.
She really wants to run for President.
Due to her heterodox positions in the past, she has some crossover appeal to conservatives.
CONS:
Gabbard was against equal rights for LGBTQ before she was for them.
She has been a little too cozy with Putin and Assad. Also, she is a big fan of Hindu nationalists.
She does not have the world’s greatest reputation for constituent service.
Michael Bloomberg:
PROS: He’s a billionaire who was a mayor of a city that is more populous than most U.S. states.
CONS: He used to be a Republican.
Richard Ojeda:
PROS:
This very telegenic West Virginia State Senator has the right background.
He is actively working to campaign for the nomination.
Like Gabbard, he is a proud veteran.
He has way more cross over appeal to Trump voters who are rightly feeling deceived.
He is a lifelong Democrat who voted for Trump in 2016 and now feels betrayed.
CONS:
He hasn’t been very thoroughly vetted, so we don’t know what he has said or done in the past that can be used against him.
The very thing that gives him crossover appeal with Trump voters is what will probably doom him in the primary.
He’s just a state senator.
Eric Holder:
PROS:
He was the attorney-general and he’s got a lot of rich and powerful friends.
He wants the nomination and he is actively campaigning for it.
CONS:
He is below the median for telegeny.
He is not a good public speaker.
It was too easy for the right-wing conservatives to get under his skin.
Terry McAuliffe:
PROS:
He was the governor of large state.
He has lots of political connections, particularly to the Clintons.
He’s a good fundraiser.
CONS:
Nobody is nostalgic for the Clinton era any more.
He has the charisma of used office furniture.
Sherrod Brown:
PROS:
He’s a U.S. Senator from Ohio who has won multiple elections deep in Trump territory.
He’s a passionate and fiery left-wing voice.
CONS:
He probably doesn’t want to run.
If he loses his Senate seat, his replacement is appointed by a Republican.
Bob Casey, Jr.:
PROS: He’s a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania who knows how to appeal to Trump voters.
CONS:
He’s been in the Senate for more than 12 years and most people don’t know who he is.
He is bald.
John Hickenlooper:
PROS:
He was the governor of Colorado.
He won the governorship when Colorado was very purple.
CONS:
He had the chance to be very supportive of legal weed and he wasn’t as supportive as he probably should have been.
He announced a plan to end homelessness in 10 years 17 years ago.
Julian Castro:
PROS:
He was a big city mayor and a cabinet secretary in the Obama administration.
He is actively campaigning for the nomination.
Before Beto came on the scene, he was the favorite of the Obama nation.
He is reasonably telegenic and he can give a decent speech.
He can talk about growing up as a Hispanic in south Texas.
CONS:
After all these years in high profile positions, most people still don’t know who he is.
He’s only okay at speech making.
The Obama team abandoned him as soon as a shinier object (Beto) came along.
He has an identical twin brother, so what if they pull some weird twin shenanigans?
Howard Schultz:
PROS: He is a telegenic, PR-savvy, self-made billionaire, whose brand is anti-discrimination and coffee (Starbucks).
CONS: See PROS.
Jeff Merkley:
PROS:
He is a U.S. Senator from Oregon, whose replacement would be nominated by a Democrat.
He got some internet cred for visiting one of Trump’s baby jails and exposing the conditions there.
CONS:
He has the charisma of a pail of warm water.
He is weird-looking.
Bill de Blasio:
PROS:
Like Bloomberg, he is mayor of a city that is larger than most U.S. states.
He won re-election after a rocky first term.
He is a fairly reliable left-wing mayor.
CONS:
He had a rocky first-term.
He’s not very skilled at reading the room.
Tom Steyer:
PROS:
He’s a billionaire.
He wants to impeach Trump
He has a pretty-enough face.
CONS:
He’s never run for office.
Pete Buttigieg:
PROS:
He is gay and has been on the forefront of equal rights for LGBTQ people.
He was a popular mayor of a medium-sized town in Indiana, which is key Trump territory.
CONS:
His name is pronounced “BUTT-ee-Jeez.”
Most people will pronounce his name “booty gig.”
Nobody knows who he is.
Mitch Landrieu:
PROS:
This guy can give a good speech. Just watch his viral video about tearing down monuments to traitors.
His mom was a U.S. Senator and he grew up around politics.
He probably wants to be president.
CONS:
He’s politically savvy enough to know that this isn’t his cycle.
Also, he’s got an interesting face.
Tim Ryan:
PROS:
He is somewhat telegenic.
He’s been a U.S. representative from Ohio, key Trump territory.
He has been fairly thoroughly vetted.
He clearly wants to run for president.
CONS: His other main resume item is writing a book about “real food.”
Eric Swalwell:
PROS:
He is somewhat telegenic.
He is a U.S. representative from California.
He has been somewhat vetted.
He is actively running for president.
CONS: This mediocre white man thinks he can be president.
Seth Moulton:
PROS:
He’s reasonably telegenic.
He is a U.S. representative from Massachusetts.
He is a Marine Corps veteran.
He won an insurgent campaign to defeat an incumbent in a primary in 2014.
He has been somewhat vetted.
He is known as an independent.
CONS: He’s probably not running and he wouldn’t have any insider support.
Angelina Jolie:
PROS:
She’s one of the most famous people in the world.
She has a history of supporting human rights across the globe.
She knows how to present herself on camera.
CONS:
She just got out of a contentious divorce, where she got outplayed in the PR game.
Running for president sucks, and she’ll find out that out relatively quickly.
Oscar De La Hoya
PROS:
He is good at boxing.
He is probably? popular with Mexican-Americans.
He is traditionally handsome.
CONS:
He’s probably a rapist.
He’s an alcoholic.
He just got a DUI in 2017.
0 notes
Text
Eulogy for my father
I wrote this two months ago, as my dad died on January 29. but attending yesterday’s climate march pushed me to post it publicly (dad was a co-laureate on the IPCC Nobel for his work on climate adaptation). This one’s for you, Dad.
Dad told me, a long time ago, that he didn’t want a funeral. That if he had anything, he wanted to have a party - that a good party was much cheaper than even a cheap casket. And that it better have good music, good food, and good drink, and it shouldn’t have any speeches.
Now, we’re violating that last request. Because he also told me, the same day, that these kinds of events are for the living. That what we hope to achieve at an event like this is to help us, not to help the deceased. To help us process the loss, to help us integrate the incredibly sudden, and completely final, absence of someone we loved into our new lives.
That was the day of his mom’s – my grandmother’s – funeral. I was in my mid twenties. I’d missed my maternal grandmother’s funeral, living in France at the time, and I never met any of my male grandparents, so that was the first time I had to confront a close death. He was trying to help me, even as he suffered. And those words have stuck with me to this day, and I’m going to try to honor him in this eulogy, but I’m also trying to pass along that gift of assistance. To help all of us through that process.
This was very hard to write. In the end, we realized that for a lot of people, Dad was a certain type of person. A work colleague, a husband, a parent, a friend. But not that many people knew all the sides of Dad. For a lot of reasons, he often kept those pieces separate from one another. But the thing about Dad is that the more you knew of him, the better it got. So I’m going to tell some stories about Dad, so that we can all walk out of here tonight with a more complete picture of him. So that we can integrate the fullness of him into our memories, and keep him there as we process his absence here on earth.
Uncle Dana just gave you a sense of what Dad was like as a big brother. And I have some sense of that time in his life as well. I loved to pester him with questions about where he came from, what shaped him. And he was usually elliptical – he’d answer personal questions with philosophy, most of the time. But I got enough out of him over the years, especially after I became a father as well, to tell you a few things.
First, he loved greenery. I mean, he loved it. He loved the mountains, and the woods. Hated the damn beach, but would do anything to spend summer weeks in Colorado in the high alpine forests, and he loved the green drive to the lab from west Knoxville. It bugged him that Middelbrook Pike got built up, because it took away from the absolutely all-surrounding green. I got him a little lit up on wine one night in Boston, early in my relationship with Carolina, and pushed him on it a little.
He told me that he lived for a long time in dry, dusty places, in a dry and dusty time after the Depression. He talked about being a night worker at the Ace Motel, a disreputable place on the south side of Oklahoma City, and the dust blowing constantly in the wind, he talked about Canyon Texas, he talked about building a cabin high on a mountaintop in Taos (the one thing he loved out of the dry, it seemed), and more. And then he said when he came to Tennessee for the first time, it was almost overwhelming how green it was. That it reminded him of Mason OH, which was the closest thing he had in his mind to “home” as a child, even though he never lived there. That it reminded him of spending a summer in a work camp in Switzerland, which had been an escape from other summers working as an elevator repairman, or at a Sears warehouse. That the simple pleasure of green was actually a piece of his decision to join the Lab back in the late 70s.
He wasn’t as purely rational as he liked to seem, you see. He was just good at hiding his emotions.
Another thing is that Dad was tough as hell. Physically and mentally. I’m guessing that a lot of his work colleagues saw the mental toughness, in his ability to produce work at a rate that seems almost impossible for one person. But it wasn’t just mental.
Dad went through college on an ROTC scholarship, which meant he had to muster into the regular Army on graduation to pay it back with service. He was not a typist, it’s safe to say – he joined the infantry as an officer, he went through Airborne school successfully, and then through Ranger school successfully. Five people died in the Ranger course he took – mostly through drowning while carrying heavy loads and dangerously deprived of sleep.
Dad didn’t like to talk about that experience much. I did get a great story out of him once though: each Ranger candidate was going to be assigned leadership of a commando unit once over the course of seven days, and if you made any mistakes when you were leading the unit, you washed out. Thanks to other candidates making mistakes, Dad got taken prisoner at one point, hogtied and his mouth filled with mud – this was in a swamp, and the regular army guys holding the high ground would get a week’s leave if they kept the Ranger candidates away. When he got his shot, he hadn’t slept in four days. But he was able to keep it together and they took the high ground.
What he talked about was how you could force your mind to override your body, to a certain extent. How that ability was something that distinguished success from failure all across life – to show up when others didn’t, to perform when others were tired, to perform under pressure when others cracked. How that ability came from practice, from willpower, and to a certain extent, from good luck – the luck to be physically and mentally stable. How if you had that luck, it was your job to use it.
We saw that throughout life with Dad, for things as simple as driving through the night to get to the beach. But it was very evident after he got sick. He fought through three surgeries, atrial fibrillation, multiple bouts with pneumonia, a stomach tube that constantly fell out and leaked gastric juices onto his skin, hospital-induced dementia, and indignities that I won’t go into in public. He lost his ability to speak, to eat, to drink – all things he loved desperately. And yet he fought on. He spent the last year of his life writing a new book, called Living With Climate Change, which will be published soon – the beginning of the prologue is in your programs. He finished it just a few weeks before his death.
A lot of people pretend to be tough. Dad taught us that really tough people don’t need to advertise. That you can figure out who they are just by watching and seeing – do they show up? Do they crack? Are they reliable?
Dad always showed up, and Dad didn’t crack. He was tough as nails. The old paratrooper fought and worked til the very damn end.
A third thing about Dad was that he could contain in his head an incredible number of ways to see. He could look at a problem and not be boxed in by one way of seeing it – he was the opposite of a lot of what we have in politics today, in that way, on either side.
When he wanted to learn about something, he would read everything he could get his hands on. He’d read the stuff that everyone read, but he’d also go to extremes to find other points of view, including ones he disagreed with. When I was young I learned my way around a library by helping him chase down books, papers, chapters, cartoons, you name it – and I learned at the same time that being able to hold several positions in my head at once meant I could see way more dimensions than people who got trained to hold one position.
This is the skill that let him see the long game, which let him marry complex theoretical work to real world implications. That’s what let him look at the Green Revolution in India – a revolution about food crops – and see a future world full of crises for energy and land and sustainability. That’s what let him look at climate change and immediately jump to thinking about what it meant for humans to adapt to that change. That’s what led him to think about how geography impacts terrorism, and a full decade of deep work with the Defense Department.
Because he didn’t want to just think about a single position and write a paper about it. He wanted to use his understanding to improve people’s lives. To anticipate problems and have solutions sitting, ready, when they were needed.
He would have cackled at the news in the past two weeks of the infrastructure failures at the Oroville Dam in California. That’s precisely the kind of thing he anticipated, the way that climate change meant normal things like droughts would get more extreme, and that the end of the drought would mean even more extreme rains, and that infrastructure built for non-extreme events would therefore fail in predictable ways that could be planned for. And he loved being right – it meant that he had stared through the problem and seen its bones.
Dad was also a deeply artistic guy. He channeled a lot of that into work – you can see it in his writing, especially his writing for broad audiences. But there was a deeper artistic sense in there, one that not everyone maybe knew about. He consumed more music and more books than anyone I’ve ever met – across a dizzying array of genres and styles. He read high literature and low literature, fancy books and dimestore mysteries. He loved latin jazz, bluegrass, new Orleans music, rock and roll, classical music, anything you could imagine.
I think if he’d been a little more willing to risk himself he’d have been a lot more of an artist. He had perfect pitch (if he hadn’t gotten stuck playing trombone he might have stuck with performing). And he was an incredible writer. He wrote a small history of his family tree for Lisa and me nearly twenty years ago and it’s full of just incredible sentences, like this one about a small town called Pikeville KY, where they lived when he was young:
“I remember Saturday movies, (with suspenseful serials, sort of young-male-oriented-soap-operas), sledding in wintertime, coal fires in the fireplace in the winter, Christmas time in the local Presbyterian church (the minister’s daughter was my fourth-grade girlfriend!), Kentucky basketball on the radio, and the taste of honeysuckle.”
That’s the way a writer remembers a place. I wish he’d written more about non work things. He told me once that he wanted to write novels but was afraid of being as honest as he’d need to be for them to be good.
He loved fine dining – for the past 25 years, he reveled in taking me and Lisa out to dinner in DC and elsewhere, always showing up with detailed ideas and research on restaurants, dishes, even routes for the taxicabs. He loved to eat. Losing that ability was one of the great insults of the past three years. And boy did he love wine. He’d be glad we have it tonight. Some of my best memories with dad involve food and wine, and I’m deeply sad that Noah won’t get to know him that way as he grows up. It’s weird to think I’ll play that role for him, because Dad played it so well.
He was incredible with kids. He was a very physical grand-dad – down on the floor, rolling around, playing the fool, doing anything for a laugh. One of his favorite yearly traditions was to spend November collecting details about what everyone was into that year, and assembling incredibly personal stockings for each of us on the couch, full of personal touches. He spent a hundred hours a year on it, easily.
Now, he wasn’t perfect. He was human, and no human is perfect. I won’t dwell on his flaws, but I will say that God help you if you got in the way of his trips to WalMart. He’d start snorting – he always did that when he was good and mad – sounding like a congested dragon. And his very toughness and emotions could sometimes blind him a little bit to the struggles that characterize our own lived experiences – he told me that himself once.
But that toughness was on the balance something that was a good trait for Dad. It carried him through the fight with cancer. He was always grateful to his care team – Dr Carlson, Dr Stephenson, Dr Locasio, Dr Mancini, just to name a few – and the entire universe of everyone who supported him as he tried to find his way back from the abyss of summer 2014. Even in the hospital, stripped of his ability to speak or eat or drink, he would grab the white board to ask a nurse how he or she was doing in writing.
OK, I’m pretty sure that if he’s somewhere watching, he’s making the dragon breathing. He didn’t want long speeches, or a funeral. He wanted a party with live music and I’m now officially in the way. So I’ll wrap up.
I don’t know how Dad would have felt about this. I hope he would have liked it. But, as I said at the start, he also told me these events are about the living. We retell the story of the one we have lost, and fit our own stories into that story, as part of how we process and integrate their loss into our ongoing lives. And in that memory, we can keep a piece of them alive, in us, by connecting our stories to their stories. By telling those stories over time, looking at those photographs, watching those videos, eating those foods, reliving the memories.
So thanks to all of you for coming. Don’t stop telling stories about Dad. Don’t stop looking at photos, or watching videos, or eating those foods. Because as long as you keep him alive in your mind and your heart, he’s not gone. And that’s the best possible way for us to honor him – to say his name, and to live like he lived.
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Democrats mimic 2018 House takeover strategy in bid to capture Senate
New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/democrats-mimic-2018-house-takeover-strategy-in-bid-to-capture-senate/
Democrats mimic 2018 House takeover strategy in bid to capture Senate
“These are sort of on the 2018 House model,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) said in an interview of recently announced candidates. “Most of them are not traditional, old-time politicians. They are new, fresh-faced.” | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo
2020 Elections
After being spurned by more prominent names, Democrats are counting on lesser-known figures to topple GOP senators.
Senate Democrats want you to forget about Stacey Abrams, Steve Bullock and Beto O’Rourke.
Instead, they’re hoping voters can get pumped about Theresa Greenfield, Cal Cunningham and Sara Gideon.
Story Continued Below
After their highest-profile recruits passed on Senate campaigns, Democrats are relying on a collection of relatively unknown and untested candidates to retake the Senate in 2020 — a challenging task given a map tilted toward Republican territory. But what the recruits lack in name ID, party leaders say, they compensate for with their profiles: Several are women and military veterans, boasting the type of resumes that Democrats rode to the House majority last year.
“These are sort of on the 2018 House model,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) said in an interview of recently announced candidates. “Most of them are not traditional, old-time politicians. They are new, fresh-faced.”
Democrats need to net three Senate seats to win control of the chamber — four if they fail to win back the White House. But they’re competing in only two states that President Donald Trump lost in 2016, while also defending a seat in deep-red Alabama that will be difficult to win back unless controversial Republican Roy Moore wins the nomination again.
“They’re struggling for direction and a message,” said Sen. Todd Young, the NRSC chairman.
But Democrats argue that with Trump’s approval underwater in battleground states like Colorado, Arizona and Iowa, and a GOP primary brewing in North Carolina, they’re in position to take advantage of a potentially favorable environment.
Democrats are touting this as a fresh approach for 2020. For years they’ve relied on high-profile candidates with previous statewide victories and built-in fundraising networks — only to watch many of them blow winnable races.
Yet their latest recruiting strategy is as much out of necessity as by design. The party has been spurned by a number of coveted, would-be candidates, as it seeks to dislodge a Republican Senate that’s stymied House Democrats’ legislative agenda and installed a raft of Trump’s judicial picks.
“We’re at the beginning stages of these races,” said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “We have until the end of this year to get folks into these Senate races and be formidable and take on these Republican incumbents who are unfavorable in their states. I’ve never had a concern about it.”
Republicans scoff at the Democratic optimism. They argue Democrats’ early recruiting misses forced them to back little-known candidates who will face competitive primaries that drain resources and damage their eventual nominees.
“Democrats have really struggled to find first-tier challengers in virtually all of these Senate races. The lone exception is Arizona,” said Senate Leadership Fund president Steven Law, referring to former astronaut Mark Kelly, who is challenging appointed GOP Sen. Martha McSally. SLF is aligned with GOP leaders.
Democrats did miss on several high-profile recruits, including Abrams in Georgia and a trio of presidential candidates in Texas (O’Rourke), Colorado (John Hickenlooper) and Montana (Bullock). But they largely moved on from those potential candidates early in the cycle.
Democrats are most excited about Greenfield, who launched her campaign in Iowa this month and quickly earned endorsements from the DSCC and EMILY’s List, along with a host of Iowa Democrats. Greenfield ran for the House in 2018 but failed to make the ballot after her campaign manager, who hadn’t worked for Greenfield before, admitted to forging signatures. But Democrats are impressed by her retail political skills and say her background as a businesswoman who grew up on a family farm positions her well in the state.
In North Carolina, national Democrats are also closely watching Cunningham, an Army veteran and former state senator who recently switched to the Senate race after previously launching a bid for lieutenant governor. Party leaders haven’t backed him, but he did earn the endorsement of former Sen. Kay Hagan and the advocacy group VoteVets.
In Maine, state House Speaker Sara Gideon officially launched her campaign against Collins on Monday, several days after finishing her state legislative session. Gideon is likely to receive support from national Democrats — and in her launch video, shecriticized Collins for voting for the 2017 tax reform bill and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Collins dismissed Gideon in an interview, saying she doesn’t “really know much about her” but said she assumes her opponent will be well-financed.
But in all three cases, Democrats face primaries: Three other candidates are running in North Carolina; two others are running in Iowa; and another candidate entered the race in Maine earlier this month ahead of Gideon’s official launch.
Democrats face other potential primaries in states where they’ve landed recruits. In Texas, veteran MJ Hegar is running against Sen. John Cornyn — but two other potential candidates are still weighing bids:Amanda Edwards, a Houston city council member, and state Sen. Royce West, who has met with Schumer and the DSCC. In Colorado, a large and still-growing field of candidates has left the party without a clear frontrunner. They could also face a primary in Georgia, where Teresa Tomlinson, the former mayor of Columbus, is running but has not yet won over national Democrats. Sarah Riggs Amico, who ran for lieutenant governor in 2018, is considering a bid and has begun lining up potential strategists for a campaign.
“There are times when primaries can be destructive,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I). “But there are also times when the primary gives a candidate, particularly a less well-known candidate, a chance to really get out there and show their stuff. And it can be an accelerator.”
Democrats have traditionally aimed to avoid messy Senate primaries but are taking their chances this time around. Cortez Masto said there was no template for endorsements, and in some cases they would step in and in others they would wait for candidates to emerge.
“The most important part of a good candidate is fire in the belly,” said Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), a former DSCC chairman, who said he recently spoke with Greenfield and Jaime Harrison, who is running in South Carolina. “They appear to me to be highly motivated to run hard races.”
Democrats smell blood broadly across the map, arguing that Trump’s poor poll numbersin several Senate battlegrounds givesthem an opportunity to keep states in play where they’re not necessarily expected to be competitive.
“The Trump numbers suggest two things to us: his vulnerability and a massive historic turnout,” said Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the Democratic whip.
Iowa exemplifies that confidence. Trump won it easily in 2016, but the state split last year, with Democrats flipping two battleground House seats while Republicans narrowly retained the governorship. Democrats think Trump’s standing has eroded in the state — Morning Consult’s latest tracking poll in the state shows Trump with a 42 percent approval rating, compared to 54 percent disapproval.
“The atmospherics in Iowa have really shifted against the Republican Party,” state Democratic state chairman Troy Price. “The president’s fortunes in the state are not in a good spot.”
Still, Sen. Joni Ernst consistently polls ahead of Trump in the state, and Republicans are confident she will be well-positioned regardless of the political environment. She kicked off her campaign last weekend with her annual “Roast and Ride” event, with former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley helping to draw a strong turnout.
In Texas, where Democrats hope to compete at all levels after O’Rourke’s narrow loss last year, Sen. John Cornyn is running as if he’s expecting his toughest race yet. He said he expects between 10 and 11 million votes in the state, which would represent massive increases from both 2016 and 2018.
“It’s going to be house-to-house, hand-to-hand combat,” Cornyn said. “My goal is to earn every vote the president gets, but to add to that.”
Read More
0 notes
Text
A List of Travel Books That Are Never On Anyone’s List
*This is a guest post from a reader of Wandering Earl, a writer, fellow traveler and friend.
Hi Folks.
My name is Gordon Hopkins. I’m a writer for a small town newspaper in rural Nebraska, The Fairbury Journal-News.
A few years ago, I took one of Earl’s tours to India (I’m in the above photo!). It was my first ever journey to Asia and I think one of Earl’s earliest tours as well, so we were both finding our feet a bit.
Naturally, I wrote about the trip for the paper and the story has now found a second life in a new anthology called Beyond Our Borders: Unexpected Travel Writing, edited by myself.
Earl was nice enough to write a foreword to the book and even nicer to let me write a guest post on his blog. However, I promised him this wouldn’t be a commercial for my book. So I need to find something to write about that you folks might actually be interested in reading.
I have a great love for travel writing, as I suspect do you, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. So how about a list of travel books, a list of my favorite travel books? Travel book lists can be found all over the internet of course. The internet loves lists, after all. There is even a term for it: listicle (which sounds like something you see a doctor to get lanced).
Perusing these lists, you will certainly see a lot of the same titles over and over again. You will likely see some books you’ve never read or never heard of. However, there are some books you will never, ever see, despite containing some truly great travel writing.
So here is my list of the top five travel books never on anyone’s list of travel books.
1: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
“The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call “out there.” Some seventy miles east of the Colorado border, the countryside, with its hard blue skies and desert-clear air, has an atmosphere that is rather more Far West than Middle West. The local accent is barbed with a prairie twang, a ranch-hand nasalness, and the men, many of them, wear narrow frontier trousers, Stetsons, and high-heeled boots with pointed toes. The land is flat, and the views are awesomely extensive; horses, herds of cattle, a white cluster of grain elevators rising as gracefully as Greek temples are visible long before a traveler reaches them.”
Creative Writing 101 should always begin with this opening paragraph of Capote’s “non-fiction novel.” “This is a true crime book, not travel book,” you say? Perhaps, but to Capote, who was raised in the South before becoming the doyen of New York literati, Kansas was every bit as alien as Mars, and he wrote about it as such, observing the “natives” much as he might a primitive tribe on some remote island.
There is more than Capote’s view of the plains of the Midwest that fascinates the reader, however. As Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, the brutal killers of the Clutter family, hit the road, trying to evade capture, the book becomes a sort of homicidal variation of On the Road, with Hickok and Smith as evil twins of Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady.
2: The Mole People by Jennifer Toth
Published in 1993, this book is, in a sense, a pretty standard travelogue. The writer took trips to an exotic locale not many have visited, interviewed the locals, learned the customs, and generally tried to give the reader an impression of what life is like in this place that most will never see.
The reason nobody thinks of this book as a travel book is because this “exotic locale” is the grim, underground tunnels of New York City, and the natives are mostly the homeless, the misfits, the outsiders of “polite society.”
More recently, a fellow named Matthew O’Brien wrote a similar book called Beneath the Neon, about those living in the tunnels under Las Vegas. Perhaps this is the start of a new genre.
3: The Curse of Lono by Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Fairly or not, many fans of the late father of Gonzo journalism were disappointed with the good doctor’s account of the Honolulu Marathon. What they wanted was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in Hawaii. What they got was somewhat different.
Oh, there is still plenty of alcohol and drug fueled lunacy. The book opens on a plane and a passenger exits the lavatory with a blue arm, having apparently dropped his stash down the toilet and then reached in to retrieve it.
However, Thompson’s view of the islands proved to be somewhat more thoughtful and introspective on occasion. The big difference between Fear and Loathing and this book is that Thompson despised Las Vegas and everything it stands for, whereas he clearly had respect and, in his own outrageous way, even love for the Hawaiian life.
It should also be noted that editing the book was something of an ordeal. It is liberally peppered with passages from Richard Hough’s The Last Voyage of Captain James Cook, which is in the public domain and clearly added to pad the book’s length.
4: Escape from Kathmandu by Kim Stanley Robinson
Why is a science fiction book on this list? It is true that many science fiction stories tell of explorers and undiscovered lands, but those places are usually made up.
This novel is actually made up of four novellas, three of which were published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine in the 1980’s. That is what those in the publishing game call a “fix-up.”
These stories are about a pair of American expats in Nepal, George Ferguson, a mountaineer and tour guide; and George Fredericks, apprentice to a Tibetan monk. Together they encounter a yeti, Shangri-la and the whole mythological milieu of that part of the world. But they also have to deal with the realities of beggars in the streets and bureaucrats in the offices and villagers scrambling for a living and demanding tourists and bugs and mud and rain and all the things one has to deal with when traveling in a foreign country. Despite the fantastic elements, it gives a surprisingly realistic look at Nepal.
Plus, the book is funny as hell.
5: Love, Poverty and War: Journeys and Essays by Christopher Hitchens
Hitchens is best known today as one of the founding fathers of “New Atheism,” but he was first and foremost one of the best journalists ever to hold the job. His writing included not just politics but literary criticism, interviews and, yes, travel writing.
It is a pity he never published a book exclusively of travel writing, but of all the collections of his journalism, Love, Poverty and War probably comes closest.
Hitchens was British and, even though he lived much of his adult life in the U.S, his origins informed his views on Americana. He gives readers his impressions of traveling down Route 66 and Sunset Strip, as well as his thoughts on the cultural impacts of such American icons as Bob Dylan and William Faulkner.
This list easily could have gone on (and on and on and on). So you see, if you love reading about other worlds and other peoples, sometimes you don’t want to stick to the obvious routes. Not unlike actual travel. There is plenty of unexpected travel writing out there if you are open to it.
Gordon Hopkins
Writer; Editor of Beyond Our Borders: Unexpected Travel Writing
(I want to thank Gordon for inviting me to write the foreword for Beyond Our Borders. It was my first foreword and it was an honor to write it. And Gordon, I definitely look forward to traveling with you again somewhere, hopefully soon! – Earl)
Do you have any interesting travel books to recommend that are not normally on lists of recommended travel books?
The post A List of Travel Books That Are Never On Anyone’s List appeared first on Wandering Earl.
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
blessednoel
Untitled
serrahayatsblog
Freedom
virtualizationhowto
VirtualizationHowto
author-to-author
From me to you
redheads-a-to-z
Redheads