Will you join me in drinking to oblivion as American democracy ends on Tuesday night.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Thu Nov 03, 2022 1:23 pm

I've been doing some heavy fasting in the past two months, with the exception of the recent BWE festivities in DC. All evidence is that the great American democratic experiment is coming to a screeching end at about midnight on Tuesday, as the crazies assume power. It looks like it is going to be every bit as bad as we expected, and now likely even worse. I have a fairly light schedule on Wednesday, I think I am going to take the Tuesday night opportunity to uncork one of my 2015 Figeacs in the name of science as we watch the horror unfold over the course of the evening. I'm sure it will lube up some "enlightened" commentary as the numbers roll in.

Chateau Vin · Post by **Chateau Vin** » Thu Nov 03, 2022 7:29 pm

I will join you...

JCNorthway · Post by **JCNorthway** » Thu Nov 03, 2022 11:46 pm

I was mildly hopeful about 6 weeks ago. But things look pretty grim now. I'm sure there will be a bottle (or 2) in hand that night! Kind of amazing what kind of characters many will vote for - regardless of where they have been/what they have said/and done.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Fri Nov 04, 2022 12:18 am

I think I'll be looking to mix in some whiskey with my Figeac if those Pennsylvania numbers are real.

Blanquito · Post by **Blanquito** » Fri Nov 04, 2022 2:01 am

I can’t bear to watch.

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Fri Nov 04, 2022 2:50 pm

Hearing that Trump may announce his candidacy for 2024 on Nov 14…humanity could be screwed…we may only have a limited window to open our best bottles

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Fri Nov 04, 2022 3:13 pm

Guys
Surely the USA with around 330M people can deliver a few better candidates for you to vote for in 2024 than Trump and Biden? Both will be over 80 and I am surprised that younger candidates cannot be found by either party.

If these two old guys are nominated the rest of the world will shake its collective head in shock and disappointment.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Fri Nov 04, 2022 11:06 pm

Blanquito wrote: ↑Fri Nov 04, 2022 2:01 am I can’t bare to watch.

I dunno. The results might drive me to moon the TV.

Gerry M. · Post by **Gerry M.** » Sat Nov 05, 2022 3:26 am

Now I'm kicking myself that I never got my duel Irish citizenship. I believe we're about to enter the modern equivalent of the dark ages and I'm not trying to be funny. My fear is I won't live long enough to see how history will look back on this time and democracy could be entering s death spiral. I truely fear for the future for my children and grandkids. Tuesday might could be a 130 proof Booker's bourbon night.

AlexR · Post by **AlexR** » Mon Nov 07, 2022 8:06 am

OK, all the media are predicting a Rupublican taking over of the Senate and the House.
And that, God help us, Donald Trump will declare his candidacy for a second term.

As for the Congress, that is bad news, but it pales in comparison to the spectre of Trump.

There were always be a right and a left. And although I find the Republicans to be seriously retrograde, let us agree that there are good people among them.
And that laws which are passed can be undone/repealed.
So there is room for hope.

I also believe in the resiliency of the American people, as evidenced by their defeating Trump in the last presidential election.

My real worry has to do with the chief executive. As an American who has lived outside the US for most of his life, I am a keen follower of international affairs and American foreign policy. And in the 45 years I have lived abroad I have never known a worse time for America's image than when Trump was president. Not during the Viet Nam war, not during the invasion of Iraq, etc.
We are not talking policy here so much as one man's character.
Trump empitomizes the Ugly American, and is a shame to the country.

If the Democrats nominate either Bush or Harris, they are sure to lose.
But, pe'rhaps an Act of God will intervene....

Alex R.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Mon Nov 07, 2022 10:13 am

Alex
Yes there has always been a left and right but in 2022 there is no Centre. Rational political decision making needs to consider a range of views and the best data and evidence available.

That just does not seem to happen anymore and the Centre has disappeared. The normal bivariate distribution has been replaced by a bimodal distribution with a small Centre. This means that the voting population is more divided than ever and many are emotionally attached to causes and are dismissive of any other opinion other than their own. Historically that’s how wars start.

The USA is not the only nation facing this division and watching the Tories implode in the UK isn’t much fun as it’s bad for the country and democracy. Similarly there as schisms in political thought everywhere and seriously I’ve not seen politics in such a state for a very long time.

Regards
Mark

jal · Post by **jal** » Mon Nov 07, 2022 12:30 pm

AlexR wrote: ↑Mon Nov 07, 2022 8:06 am
If the Democrats nominate either Bush or Harris, they are sure to lose.

You mean Biden or Harris, right?

AlexR · Post by **AlexR** » Mon Nov 07, 2022 1:28 pm

Yes Jacques, or course my mistake: should be Biden or Harris.

AR

jal · Post by **jal** » Mon Nov 07, 2022 1:49 pm

Alex, what is happening in France? I'm reading of an existential crisis

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/20 ... s-decline/

Is that hyperbole/clickbait by a conservative paper or is there something to it?

AlexR · Post by **AlexR** » Mon Nov 07, 2022 4:12 pm

Jacques,

This is soemthing I could go on abouta at great length.

We need to sit down with a bottle of wine and shoot the breeze!

Alex

jal · Post by **jal** » Mon Nov 07, 2022 5:03 pm

AlexR wrote: ↑Mon Nov 07, 2022 4:12 pm Jacques,

This is soemthing I could go on abouta at great length.

We need to sit down with a bottle of wine and shoot the breeze!

Alex

Let's hope we can do it in 2023 Alex

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Mon Nov 07, 2022 8:40 pm

AlexR wrote: ↑Mon Nov 07, 2022 1:28 pm Yes Jacques, or course my mistake: should be Biden or Harris.

AR

Senior moment!

But if you said to me George ‘Dubya’ Bush for the White House in 2024 ‘take it or leave it’ - I would say I would take it - because a recession in Biden’s second half of his first term could hand the Presidency to Trump on a platter

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Nov 07, 2022 9:03 pm

The 2015 Figeac has been removed from the cellar, in anticipation of tomorrow night.

It is my hope to dull at least some of the pain as we have to deal with a long night of early results in favor of the Republicans, then glumly watching the John King and Steve Kornacki precinct reports as it dawns on us that there just aren't enough votes left in the Philadelphia neighborhoods, or Broward County, or Maricopa County to save the Dems. It was Milwaukee, Atlanta, Detroit, and Philadelphia that saved the country last time, not gonna be so lucky this time around.

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Mon Nov 07, 2022 11:28 pm

Early voting in Houston is way down this year. This suggests that the Repubs will win all Texas state offices in a landslide.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Tue Nov 08, 2022 12:02 pm

I'll join you tonight Jim, but since I'm not quite so pessimistic about the outcome, I'm only opening a young Cru Bourgeois.

A bottle of 2016 Meyney has been moved upstairs.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Nov 08, 2022 1:38 pm

Bravo, Chris. Bravo.
I wish I could say that "we shall see" by midnight tonight but sadly these ballot challenges by the election deniers will go on for weeks and months.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Tue Nov 08, 2022 5:48 pm

Soon, your country will change it name for DSA :

Disunited States of America!

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Nov 08, 2022 6:29 pm

Ô Canada!
Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l’épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Nov 08, 2022 6:48 pm

I think I need to pull out my old hockey equipment.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Nov 08, 2022 8:52 pm

The Dow rallied this afternoon, the wise guys have spoken, a bad omen for the party of FDR, HST, and JFK.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Tue Nov 08, 2022 11:28 pm

Popped and poured. Nice perfume!

I don't think a 1% fluctuation in the djia indicates much about the voting.

A friend's wife is their town's republican registrar of voters. She says turnout is heavy.

Indiana starting to report.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Tue Nov 08, 2022 11:49 pm

The 2015 Figeac has been uncorked, and MSNBC is on the TV.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:12 am

An hour before the polls close here in Maine.
The air is crisp. The leaves are fallen.
The moon is bright. The clocks have changed.
Boy, this always brings back memories.
Election night. All the work has been done.
Now it is in the hands of the voters. Soon we will have some early results.
Mostly great memories, my upset win for city council in 1988, I was barely 29 years old.
Two years later I was elected mayor at age 31, and reelected two years after that.
An hour before the polls close, now the knot sets into the stomach.
Brings back incredible memories and emotions.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:20 am

One of my lawyer buddies, Eddie Rabasco, a Democrat, is running for District Attorney.
I helped him but I also gave money to the Republican Neil McLean, a career prosecutor who we all like.
A very classy campaign between two good men, we will be well served regardless of who wins.
I got very nice late night emails from both candidates last night. This is the way it SHOULD be.
I voted for Eddie because he ran my campaign for U.S. Congress back in '94, but I will have no qualms if Neil wins.
Sigh, this is the way it used to be. May the best man win!
Back when I was in politics back in the late 80s and early 90s we used to fight like hell against each other, then work together until the next election. What went wrong? Is it as simple as blaming it on Fox News? The internet? Money in politics? I don't know the answer.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:30 am

I was up at 4:30 this morning, watching the lunar eclipse. My yard doesn't have great views to the west but the dim red moon was fully visible through bare trees. My best views were ahead of the full eclipse, while there was still a glow on the southeast side of the moon.
After that I loaded Mary's car with a pop-up canopy and other supplies for the Democratic tent outside our polling place. Our town was split into two voting districts starting this year so the town committees are a little disorganized. One tiny committee staffing two polling places for the first time.
Tonight she's working the late shift at the polls and counting the votes so I won't see her until 10pm or so.
No matter, the Meyney is so good it's more than half gone already and I'll probably be asleep when Mary gets home.
It went so well with a cheese and crackers appetizer, as well my leftover roasted pork tenderloin and potatoes. Coming up, pairing with homemade chocolate chip cookies and salted chocolates.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:31 am

JimHow wrote: ↑Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:20 am What went wrong?

Newt

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:31 am

Continuing to assess the 2015 Figeac....

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:38 am

I had a wonderful 1970 Ch. Figeac a little more than a year ago.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:48 am

Ah yes, the election of 1994.
George Mitchell left the Senate, and Olympia decided to vacate her House seat to run for Senate.
So seven of us ran for the Democratic nomination that spring, and four ran for the Republican nomination.
It was the year of Newt and the Contract with America.
We ran a pretty traditional Democratic primary on our side.
The thing about running a Congressional primary is that you are really kind of in a bubble, not focusing on the candidates in the other party.
You are just focused on beating your party opponents, and worrying about the other party in November.
Towards the end of the primary campaign, though, I remember somebody organized a joint debate between the candidates from BOTh parties.
And for the first time we saw the Republican candidates in person. It was way up in the Downeast hinterlands, at the University of Maine at Machias campus.
These guys were freaks, the earliest of the Tea Party crowd. I had never met anyone like them before in politics.
Prior to that time I used to get along with the Republicans, moderates like Olympia, and Bill Cohen, and Olympia's husband Jock McKernan, the governor, and even old man Bush when he came to town.
But these dudes were something different. Like nothing I'd ever experienced before.
An anger and full blown hatred and disdain for their fellow citizens like nothing I'd ever seen.
Fox was just coming on the scene, and the internet... And a snake oil Congressman from Georgia by the name of Newt....

Gerry M. · Post by **Gerry M.** » Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:51 am

I'm heading to the cellar now to choose a bottle. I'm leaning towards something modest, maybe a 2016 Charmail

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:53 am

Nice, Gerry, good idea.
Things should be routine in the Commonwealth tonight but I'm nervous about that NH senate race.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Wed Nov 09, 2022 1:09 am

And here we are, after 8pm eastern time. The witching hour.....
And 2015 Figeac continues to unfold....
Early results in from Allegheny County.
A troubled democracy at stake.

Gerry M. · Post by **Gerry M.** » Wed Nov 09, 2022 1:14 am

CBS News is already talking about Kevin McCarthy being the next Speaker. God help us as I change the channel back to CNN and MSNBC

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Wed Nov 09, 2022 1:17 am

The House is lost but I'm ever so slightly encouraged by my man Kornacki's EXTREMELY early results in the senate races in NH and PA.

Nicklasss · Post by **Nicklasss** » Wed Nov 09, 2022 1:25 am

On a positive note, i ran my first 10 km before diner, in 60 minutes. I had the objective to run a first 10 km before Christmas... so done.

Jean Fred influence i guess...