Year-End Numbers to Ponder

These are vote totals in past presidential elections (slightly rounded).

Obama (2008)                      69,499,000
Obama (2012)                      65,916,000
Clinton (2016)                       65,845,000
Trump (2016)                       62,980,000
Bush (2004)                          62,041,000
Romney (2012)                     60,934,000
McCain (2008)                      59,948,000
Kerry (2004)                          59,028,000
Reagan (1984)                      54,455,000
Gore (2000)                           51,000,000
Bush (2000)                          50,456,000
Bush (1988)                          48,886,000
Clinton (1996)                      47,402,000
Nixon (1972)                         46,740,000
Clinton (1992)                      44,910,000
Reagan (1980)                      43,643,000

Now I'm a big number questioning guy, which means I don't trust numbers unless I can see them, know who offers them to me, and then inquire into the interpretation of numbers by nearly anyone and everyone. That being said, consider my thoughts on these numbers.

1. (2016) It is NOT true that if Hillary had gotten as many votes as Obama, she would have won. If all those votes were not in key states, she still loses. Then again, if her margin in California (2+ million) was redistributed to swing states, she would have won an electoral college landslide.
2. (2012) Obama got 3.5M less votes than he got in 2008. Same election, Romney got a million more than McCain received in 2008, but even with that 4.5 million vote swing, the end result was the same.
3. (1984) The voters really liked Reagan, look how far out of an orderly progression is his total that year. The same can be said of Nixon in 1972.
4. Voter totals go up year over year over year, with only minor exceptions. That math is based on birth rate versus death rate and has nothing to do with who is running for office or if the voters care, again with minor exceptions like 2008 & 1984.
5. As long as we have the electoral college; in any scenario with competitive race for the presidency, it will be more important where you get your votes, not how many you get.

Happy Election 2016 America

A Personal Reaction to The Debate

I promised a few weeks back to not write about American politics again until after the November election. To be clear, this is not a post about any of the candidates. This is my personal experience of tonight's debate. First, I should say that I got up and left the television room at 9:42 PM EDT. I literally could take no more.

This realization came to me when I noticed I had not looked at the screen for over ten minutes. Just the voices of the candidates was an assault on my person. My psyche just was unable to continue with the sheer vanity and mendacity of the works being spew at us all. I could not longer face them or let them face me.

Assault is the only word I can find that fits my feelings. That a great or formerly great or going to be great again country finds itself glued to all forms of media to listen to those two shining examples of our best and brightest is sickening, depressing, bordering on existentially unforgivable.

I can vaguely hear the sounds of the debate from the other end of the house. Never thought I would be thankful for an ear infection. I'm not going back to hear another word, my soul won't take the abuse.

I'm going to do now, what my great friend Gary would recommended, I'm going to watch reruns of The Andy Griffith Show and try to figure out what Aunt Bea would do in this deplorable situation.