DL Open Thread: Saturday, May 25, 2024
“Why Our Polls Suck.” That should have been the title of the enclosed article. But since it was published in the NYTimes, and since the article critiqued their poll’s methodology, it was toned down. Message is clear, though:
The polls have shown Donald Trump with an edge for eight straight months, but there’s a sign his advantage might not be quite as stable as it looks: His lead is built on gains among voters who aren’t paying close attention to politics, who don’t follow traditional news and who don’t regularly vote.
Disengaged voters on the periphery of the electorate are driving the polling results — and the story line — about the election.
President Biden has actually led the last three New York Times/Siena national polls among those who voted in the 2020 election, even as he has trailed among registered voters overall. And looking back over the last few years, almost all of Trump’s gains came from these less engaged voters.
Interesting analysis.
Louisiana Classifies Safest Pills On Market As Dangerous Substance. Well, placebos are presumably safer, but abortion pills are close, according to my pharmacist wife:
Opponents of the measure, which affects the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol, included many physicians who said the drugs have other critical reproductive health care uses, and that changing the classification could make it harder to prescribe the medications.
Supporters of the bill said it would protect expectant mothers from coerced abortions, though they cited only one example of that happening, in the state of Texas.
It turns out that the Texas case dealt with a relative of the Louisiana legislator pushing the bill.
Police Brutality: $150 Mill And Counting. If progressive legislation can’t reign them in, then perhaps cities awash in red ink thanks to beatings just might:
In the four years since mass protests broke out over the killing of George Floyd, cities across the US have settled more than 130 lawsuits involving police misconduct with payouts totaling nearly $150m to protesters, journalists, legal observers and bystanders, according to an analysis of the lawsuits published this week.
The settlements, which include some of the largest payouts over protest-related police actions to date, also forced a slew of reforms on to departments, including restrictions on the use of so-called “less lethal” weapons. Taken together, the report notes, the lawsuits’ outcomes fundamentally refute the narrative that the protests were violent and underscore how it was the police response to them that broke laws and violated rights.
“After reviewing so many lawsuits, a consistent story emerges: cops had zero interest in honoring the first amendment rights of protesters,” said Sue Udry, executive director of the free speech group Defending Rights & Dissent and author of the report. “The most successful lawsuits won restitution for individuals and significant new restrictions on police. But they are piecemeal, and no substitute for systemic change.”
BTW, if you listened to the Rev’s interview with Collin O’Mara, you would have heard O’Mara’s praise for the original LEOBOR Reform bill sponsored by Tizzy Lockman, which was one of the best progressive pieces of legislation I’ve ever seen. In fact, O’Mara discusses in detail many current pieces of progressive legislation favorably. I doubt whether BHL or Matt are even aware of some of these bills. I know that Carney isn’t.
What do you want to talk about?
Here’s a story that should strike fear into the heart of Delaware’s most famous sign-stealer, BHL’s husband.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/local/councilman-arrested-for-theft-after-rivals-put-tracking-device-on-political-signs/
Yo, Dana, consider that a PSA on your behalf. We know the campaign can’t afford the fines…
Just shows the quality of person who puts themselves forward as potential public servants.
It’s no mystery why democracies die after 250 years or so. The mystery is how they manage to last that long.