Observations Of A Poll Manager Or Herbert 1 Utah 0

The first election I worked as a poll worker was Bush v Gore. Being brand new I was relegated to writing names in the poll book. I wrote a lot of names that day. Over the years I have worked most of the election cycles missing only a couple for personal reasons.

I find it fascinating that some people simply cannot, while at the polls, refrain from revealing just how devoted they are to their party. In my experience it is nearly always the democrats that feel the need to extol their virtue at being a lifelong party member. It is similarly true that it is nearly always the democrats that whine the loudest when, after three years, they still have not updated their ID and have to vote provisionally. Some, democrats all, even object to having to show ID to vote. I can’t help but wonder how fast they whipped out that ID when they applied for their welfare. I bet ID wasn’t an issue then.

The democratic party long ago fractured into a conglomeration of special interest groups who only vote based on one single issue. Republicans are now in the process of that kind of shattering, kind of. Instead of thirty or more highly charged special interest groups the republican party now has two branches, the establishment and the conservatives. The main difference and the greatest source of worry by those of us who see the establishment wing of the republican party running away from us as fast as they can (ie traditional conservatives) is that the republican party simply doesn’t have the voter discipline liberals seem to have.

Liberals, no matter how distasteful their parties candidate is in other respects (in the case of Utah, a man in drag), will pull the lever for him/her as long as there is a D behind the name. It is nothing more complicated than that. On election day in Utah, I saw for the first time the same phenomena taking shape in the governors race on the republican side.

Time after time I heard from republicans how loyal they were, as they pulled the lever for one of the best hidden establishment republicans in government, Gary Herbert. It was all I could do to stop myself from asking each of these proud party loyalists, are you really that stupid? Apparently they are, at least the eight percent that turned out to vote in my district. There in lies the crutch. No matter how many liberals come out to vote they all vote the same way. Not so with republicans. When the general election comes we will split our vote and dilute any impact we might have or even worse, not come out to vote.

I know several people who refused to come out and vote because Herbert was on the ballot and they felt, with some justification, they could not vote for the “RINO”. I tried to explain to them there was an alternative. Johnson may not have been a household name (I blame his campaign manager for that) but he offered a far more traditional, conservative agenda than the tax and spend, I’ll go anywhere and give you anything to get money, Herbert. If nothing else I said at least come out and vote down ticket to get some resistance to Herbert’s RINO agenda in place.

One of the proud democrats that voted at my precinct provided a clear example of the Herbert’s RINO credentials. Crossing over to vote for Herbert in the primary instead of the democrat she justified her vote saying that Herbert had fought for and got her and her fellow teachers a raise. To which I wanted to reply, “And he only raised your taxes six times to do it.” Alas, as a poll manager I was constrained to silence. Still, she is a classic victim of the system she is now employed in and will undoubtedly vote her party line in November. The fact that she is teaching children frightens the hell out of me. I do not know if America can survive another generation of useful idiots.

So now, to make a long story short, we in Utah get to vote in November on whether we will bankrupt our state by expanding Medicare under a Democrat or Republican governor. In either case our students will continue to solve simple math problems using 97 steps, ie Common Core. We will get legalized pot and all its attendant problems with either a democrat or republican governor. Both republican and democrat candidates will continue to turn our state into a magnet for illegal aliens by offering in state tuition, unlimited welfare, healthcare and drivers licenses to these criminals. Having gotten away with raising taxes six times already both the democrat and republican future governors will doubtlessly raise them again. I could go on and on but the careful reader should by now observes the pattern. To those of us who are paying attention is is clear.

Herbert 1 Utah 0.

Facebook, Guns and The Liberal Mindset

I only recently got my computer back. Seems my eight year old hard drive finally gave up the ghost. I took the opportunity to go on my Facebook page. Yes, I stayed off Facebook the whole three weeks I was computerless, you should try it. Anyway one of the first posts I see was in response to the Florida shooting. One of the people on my “friends” list posted a cartoon showing Wayne La Perrier and a brutish looking man labeled “Guns Inc” dragging a massive bag of profits, standing amid a sea of bloody bodies. The cartoonist has a smiling Wayne saying “Fortunately guns don’t kill people.” The cartoon, misleading as it was, generated an interesting exchange on my wall.

RJ is the individual on my “friends” list. I knew him casually through our employer. After hearing him wax semi eloquently on the glories and accomplishments of Sir Hillary Clinton I realized discretion was the better part of valor and basically avoided him. I never try to start an argument with liberals but I will not shy away either.

The exchange serves as a classic example of how liberals operate. I have recorded the entire thread/ conversation, word for word below. I will only use the participants initials to accord them anonymity. My comments are italicized.

Commenting on the cartoon;

M B: Be sure to list all the abortions too R J. All the drunk drivers that kill daily. All the drug companies. I could go on and on.

I don’t know MB but I know RJ and I don’t doubt he supports abortion on demand. I have to admit I’m not sure how drunk drivers or drug companies fit into the gun control debate. I wish he had gone on just long enough to make the connection for me.

R J: I’m not posting this pic to start up any mean spirited dialogue–keep your hate to yourselves.

Really? Linking the NRA to mass murder isn’t mean spirited? The direct implication that gun manufacturers use murder to profit isn’t mean spirited? What then was your purpose for posting this cartoon, a demonstration of compassion? Notice the knee jerk reflex to classify perceived disagreement as hate.

M B: R J what do you call this picture? It’s pure hate toward gun owners. Your such a hipocrit.

Unless you are a rabid gun control fanatic MB’s description of the cartoon is spot on.

RJ: I’m a gun owner myself asshole–now leave me alone and stay the fuck off MY FACEBOOK page

Now doesn’t this just make everyone feel better? RJ owns a gun and knows some four letter words. I guess RJ means he is the right “type” of gun owner? He reflexively turns to the liberal lexicon, ie profanity, to make his point. Let’s not forget, it’s his Facebook page, how dare you dissent.

Not to be out done in demonstrating his liberal bona fides DT joins the fray.

DT: MB: No abortion has ever killed a room full of people.

Lets admit it, this is a brilliant misdirection. DT has clearly memorized his talking points. I can almost imagine DT biting his lower lip while “tearing up” for the camera. I suppose he has a technical point, you couldn’t fit tens of millions of dead babies even in Michael Moores pantry. I suppose in DT’s world killing babies is fine as long as a gun isn’t used.

Unaware of RJ’s intellectual superiority, another commentator dares to chime in.

GHZ: We have reached the point in this country where stats and body counts are the things that make headlines, not the tragedy itself, like each event is to challenge or outdo the last one, ie: Worst in American history, the most children killed in America, the worst theater shooting in America, etc, etc. Since when do we gloat over our history of violence in this country like we are giving out Oscars for Best Picture? We need to grow up, get pissed off, and stop this carnage from happening, before it becomes just a byline.

Like it or not, GHZ has a point, from the media’s perspective. A long time maxim in the media is, “If it bleeds it leads.” Gun deaths are reported by the “mainstream media” in horse race fashion and have been since they jumped on the gun control bandwagon en mass. GHZ is correct, we need to find a way to stop this kind of violence but I suspect we would disagree on the methods to do so.

RJ: Then let it stop with u GHZ–your hate speech today has been horrific.

Hate speech? Horrific? Seriously? It seems GHZ has hit a nerve here. Having sold some articles to one of the supermarket tabloids, RJ fancies himself a member of that precious media. He simply cannot deal with the facts here. Again, notice the reflexive invocation of “hate speech.” Exactly what was hateful or horrific in GHZ’s post?

GHZ: The media loves the sensationalism. It sells advertising space, and newspapers. It is a sick morbid obsession.

Sadly, GHZ has a point here too. Like Piers Morgan standing on the bodies of the Sandy Hook victims or the perky Katie Curic deceptively editing her gun control “documentary”, the media will stoop to any low to get their agenda across. It is a fact proven by its perpetrators almost daily.

RJ: Well then that should give u something to read while you’re incarcerated! Now, as I told u earlier, leave me alone.

Well alrighty then. A fine example of liberal tolerance here RJ. I mean, how dare these peasants, having been labeled as haters by the all knowing you, continue to address his highness. Apparently it is now criminal to disagree with Sir RJ. Oh, and you peasants need to stop it with the reality stuff, it messes up RJ’s carefully constructed fantasy world. Besides, I’m certain the Enquirer is desperately trying to get him to finish his article on how black lesbian platypus are being discriminated against by local Christian zoo keepers.

Yes I am picking on RJ. Remember, I know him. For the millions of folks like RJ, this is what passes as intelligent debate on gun control or any other subject. How sad is that?