The Card Lady

 This afternoon, I read a update on the Harris-Trump debate stuff....Harris wants 'notes' to be allowed during the debate.

I sat and contemplated that idea.

I took a single course on debate with Louisiana Tech....considering it one of the most wasted college classes that I took over a 6-year period.  

The end of the course came up and you had two choices.....a prepared speech (2x pages), or a full-up debate (you had to discuss your topic for at least three minutes).  It was a no-brainer for me....prepare a 2-page speech.  In the debate....the instructor wasn't going to allow notes.

So I pondered over this.....does Trump need notes?  NO.  

Harris?  I would imagine she needs to reference key points....because she can't remain on the subject (same problem Biden had).

How many 5 x 8 inch notes on the table?  Unknown....I'm guessing she wants a minimum of 12 cards.  Once you get past 12 cards....it becomes a problem to reference facts and keep the cards in order.

More of a hindrance?  Well.....for me, I'd say absolutely a crappy way of remembering things.

Trump accepting the debate rule on cards?  I doubt it.

A bad sign that she can't remember things?  Well....it's just something you wonder about....if she can stand there for an hour and actually talk facts.  To be honest....she might need forty cards to reference....in a real 4-star debate.

Single Way That The Electoral College May Fail

 My scenario.

You get to the day after the election...realizing that five states have not completed their count, and indications are....they are seriously in some delay pattern. The states?  Penn, AZ, Michigan, Georgia, and Wisconsin.

A week later....strong indicators are that fake ballots are falling into play.

Then 15 states go and do the 'damnest' thing...they refuse to certify their election results.  The EC meets on schedule, but there's not enough votes to carry it it's purpose.

So we go to January, and the alternate method....a state by state vote for President and VP.

VP in the Senate is easy and Vance easily wins.

House vote on President.....various tricks are being used by at least twenty states....to stall the vote.  

Inauguration day comes....the House Speaker says he'll push on to have Vance take the oath, and he (the House Speaker) will take the VP oath.

Immediately after Vance is sworn in....the entire top level of the Justice Department and FBI are laid-off.  Vance then suspends federal funding to the states in the delay tactics.  

The opposing states now say a form of civil war has started up....but they also admit that they are financially in a bind....with fed funding dried-up.

A month passes, and the states wise up....Vance won't budge.  Trump arrives and is given the oath.  The crisis ends.

Note, the FBI in it's present form....never comes back after this incident.  Half of the manpower is permanently removed. 

Trust By The Numbers

 

Over the weekend, I noted this graphic....which was a study done between 1997 and 2020 (so it's not UP to 2024 timeframe, a key point).

The question is....depending on your political feelings....how much trust do you put into the mass media (news print, TV news, etc).

Even in 1997....it wasn't great.  

In the 2004-2010 timeframe, you can tell.....if you were a Republican or Independent.....it slipped badly.  Same timeframe, for a Democratic-likely voter....it went and improved.

So by the numbers....in 2020....just 10-perent of Republicans trust the media.  I would imagine from the 10-percent trusting...if you laid out the questions in careful order....most folks would admit that they aren't that trusting.

Independents....same trend.

73-percent of Democrats trusting?  That's the story in 2020.

So my question....a lot of crap has happened since 2020....a lot of negative crap.  Does the trend line continue?

If a overwhelming number of the public doesn't believe what they see in the media....where does reality divide up?  

If you were some local TV station in Tulsa, and your viewer numbers were on the decline, with advertising paying less to keep the station operating.....what's the strategy going ahead?  Could you get viewers to come back?  Would the income levels be such that you give up on the 10 PM local news, and just air some half-an-hour episode of Barney Miller instead?

It's hard to find any episode in American history, or even world history....where so  many people lack a trust in news.