Daily Archives: November 2, 2012

November 2, 2012 · 2:36 PM

Gov. Scott says no to more early voting in Florida. Y’all just keep standing in line

Could Governor Scott’s decision be partisan?

The Maddow Blog

After days of long lines and long waits for early voting, Florida Democrats asked Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, to extend early voting. It now ends on Saturday, because Republicans cut the number of days for early voting in half. Citing heavy turnout, Dems and League of Women Voters asked Governor Scott to restore voting this Sunday, the last day for “Souls to the Polls” drives before the election.

Governor Scott said no. From the Broward/Palm-Beach New Times:

“Early voting will end Saturday night,” Scott told reporters in response to the request. “But I want everybody to get out to vote.”

Scott’s Republican predecessor, Governor Charlie Christ, extended early voting in 2008because voters were waiting in line for several hours. Then Barack Obama won the state, and Florida Republicans decided fewer days would be better somehow.

Florida Republicans have cut into Democrats’ lead in early and absentee voting this year. But here’s the thing about early voting: It gives campaigns a greater chance of bringing in voters who might not otherwise vote. They can make appointments with marginal voters to get them to the polls, and the first appointment doesn’t work, they can go back for a second and third and fourth try. Democrats in Florida seem to be doing just that. Among voters who’ve missed the last few elections, Democrats say they’re winning this time by more than 77,000 votes.

(Florida photos: Up top, an hour wait Sunday in Winter Park, Florida, by Stacy Forrest; below, an hour and a half wait Tuesday in Palm Beach Gardens, Brian Hashiguchi. How to send us stuff.)

 

Comments Off

Filed under Florida 2012

Tagged as , , ,

· 9:02 AM

Ohio Romney Rally – Interviews with Supporters

Romney’s lies and right-wing propaganda has worked on these low-information Romney supporters.  None of them can actually state facts that are true, only Fox News and other right-wing talking points.

Low information voters, also known as LIVs or “misinformation voters”, are people who may vote, but who are generally poorly informed about politics. The phrase is mainly used in the United States, and has become popular since the mid-nineties. (Wiki)

Related articles

3 Comments

Filed under Right Wing Myths and Falsehoods, Right-wing disinformation campaign, Right-Wing Propaganda

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

· 8:22 AM

Businessweek Hurricane Sandy Cover: ‘It’s Global Warming, Stupid’

Thanks to New york City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, the issue of global warming may finally be getting some much-needed attention.  Better late than never, as they say…

The Huffington Post

Bloomberg Businessweek’s cover story this week takes a direct approach to linking Hurricane Sandy and climate change.

As the storm approached the East Coast on Monday, many media outlets considered the link between the hurricane and climate change vital to its coverage. While the connection was broached on social media sites like Twitter, the discussion did not get noticeable attention on cable new networks that were continuously covering the storm.

Bloomberg Businessweek, however, made the connection loud and clear with its cover story. Above a photo of a flooded, powerless city street, the headline “IT’S GLOBAL WARMING, STUPID” appears in bold, underlined text.

Bloomberg Businessweek editor Josh Tyrangiel tweeted, “Our cover story this week may generate controversy, but only among the stupid.”

 

bloomberg businessweek sandy

Comments Off

Filed under Global Warming, Hurricaine Sandy 10/2012

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

· 12:09 AM

Power unites: New Yorkers come together, charge together

I love New Yorkers for the very reasons illustrated below.  In times of crisis we look out for each other…always.

Gigaom

As large parts of New York City remain in a power blackout, local bars and stores are offering up their generators to help people stay connected. Here are some scenes.

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the teeming streets of lower Manhattan have become an eerie, empty wasteland. Amidst the cold and the dark, the most pressing need is not for food or water — but for power to charge phones and laptops.

Fortunately, New Yorkers are looking out for each other as they always do. Outside bars and bodegas, merchants with generators are sharing them with residents who need to charge up and contact the outside world. This was the scene near Avenue A in the East Village where Percy’s Tavern set up tables with dozens of power outlets to use free of charge:

Similar scenes played out in front of hairdressers and coffee shops around the blacked out part of the city. Strangely, for this week at least, the cell phone habits of many New Yorkers resemble those of rural Africans who regularly pay small sums to charge their mobile devices from a generator.

The situation in Manhattan also highlights how, in a crisis, the city’s post-industrial economy still ultimately depends on very industrial fuels like diesel. (To see how we might one day progress beyond this, see the excellent reporting by Katie Fehrenbacher earlier this week.)

Similar scenes played out in front of hairdressers and coffee shops around the blacked out part of the city. Strangely, for this week at least, the cell phone habits of many New Yorkers resemble those of rural Africans who regularly pay small sums to charge their mobile devices from a generator.

The situation in Manhattan also highlights how, in a crisis, the city’s post-industrial economy still ultimately depends on very industrial fuels like diesel. (To see how we might one day progress beyond this, see the excellent reporting by Katie Fehrenbacher earlier this week.)

Related articles

Comments Off

Filed under Hurricaine Sandy 10/2012

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,