A tiny bit of relief

I’m relieved that there was no eruption of violence on Election Day. It looks like everyone simmered down, especially after a federal judge told the poll watchers to stay at least 75 feet back from the mail drop box, don’t come within 250 feet if carrying weapons, and don’t take pictures of those dropping off their ballots. Finally, a judge determined those behaviors were intimidating after the first set of judges said that the poll watchers had the right to congregate and were not doing anything wrong, even if wearing camouflage and masks and toting guns.

Curiously enough, it appears to me what swung the federal judge to install some rules was that Nancy Pelosi’s husband was attacked in their home a few days before.

So, the stream of events to me looked like: in Arizona, ballot watchers appear in camouflages and masks, toting guns, and taking pictures of those bringing in their ballots. A judge or a set of judges said those ballot watchers had every right to be there; there was no law saying they couldn’t be there as long as they were not harassing or harming the voters. They didn’t see any intimidation. A few days or a week later, Paul Pelosi gets attacked in his San Francisco home by a deranged man looking for Nancy Pelosi (who was in Washington at the time). Some days later, a federal judge laid down some rules for the Arizona poll watchers saying in essence you gotta stand back and you can’t take pictures or talk to the voters. I think by then people started to think, “Yeah, it kinda does feel like harassment.”

Everybody simmered down and Election Day went by without a hint of violence.

Whew.

That doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods yet. Violence could happen but right now the threat appears to be dwindling. However, we will still go through purgatory for the next 2 years because the Republicans look like they are going to capture the House and they have promised to bring in the investigations and impeachment.

They have also said that they will cut Social Security and Medicare. I’m under the impression that both the Democratic and the Republican voters favor Social Security and Medicare and thus do not want anything to happen to those safety net. I’m puzzled as to why the voters are still voting in Republicans after that announcement.

Maybe it’s kind of like the abortion story: Republican voter kept voting in politicians who explicitly said that they would do away or curtail abortions, even though Republican voters were polled as in favor of keeping Roe versus Wade intact. Maybe they didn’t believe that the Republican politicians would follow through.

Except Republicans are rolling out abortion restrictions and voters, including Republican voters, are trying to keep their abortion rights. What a tipsy topsy world.

If Roe versus Wade has been demolished, then you better believe that the Republican politician will go after Social Security and Medicare. It’s coming folks, it’s coming.

The other thing I’m relieved about is the crazies were not voted in. That means we have a few sane Republican voters. Still, the count is too close to be really comfortable: we have far too many voters willing to vote in the crazies and bring in a reign of terror and chaos.