I think I follow US politics pretty closely for the most part. Obviously every presidential election is important. However, there have been a few that have been critically so in my lifetime. I’ll leave it up to you to determine which ones were most important to you.
1992 was the first election post Cold War. It was also a referendum on how Bush handled the first Iraq war, and how he increased taxes after saying he wouldn’t. It was the first time in a while that we had a viable 3rd party candidate. It was also a watershed moment for NAFTA which would have unlikely been passed under a republican president. Gay rights also made huge strides due to this election.
1996 saw the rise of the religious right, and laid the foundation for the political theater that we experience today.
2000 was a referendum on how important the climate was to the average American. I’m sad to say that the fossils won that one. To me this was one of the most important races of our lifetimes.
2004 was a referendum on the handling of the second Iraq War and the continuation of torture as an interrogation device. This one to me is the one where we started to lose a lot of our standing and respect around the world .
2008 was critical in that we finally got some semblance of a national healthcare plan
2012 was a referendum on that Healthcare plan. This one is yet another critical juncture in the vision for America. The loss here made the right rabid. It also didn’t help that the 24 hour news cycle was no longer hamstrung to report the, you know, actual news.
2016 was a referendum on electing a black man to the highest office twice. It was also about healthcare, but most importantly it was when the right finally got war fatigue while the left got globalization fatigue. It was important in that the US started to return back to its isolationist roots.
2020 was a referendum on democracy. We hadn’t experienced such a vital threat to democracy since the era when the atomic bomb gave us near total control over the world. If trump had won, I fear we would ceased to function as a democracy at the national level.
And now onto 2024 - yet another referendum on democracy, but with the added twist that everyone is spurned by high inflation. The economy simply isn’t working for about 40% of the population. In any other normal year, this would be a shoo in for the change candidate, unfortunately for us that change candidate is a fascist dictator.
So, is 2024 the most important election of our lifetimes? Well, I suppose that depends on whether you value living in a democracy. For me, that is a resounding yes.
I buy gift cards for the discounts. Usually you can get a gift card from anywhere between 3% and 20% off. Over the last 5 years, this has saved me $1000s on house renovations alone.
I mean Mark Cuban started by managing a restaurant, then starting up a TV network that did well. He’s no saint but he didn’t start with a silver spoon in his mouth.
As the Dark Sith Lord Mitchell McConnell once stated: “winning is the only thing that matters, winning means you have the power, winning means you get to make the rules.” (Paraphrasing)
If you want left wing policies, like Obamacare or the inflation reduction act, if you want the green new deal or Medicare for all, then the left have to be in power. Else it’s a crapshoot what we get (hey, republicans were the ones that put the D in Medicare).
It’s not that hard of a concept. Lefties will continue to do lefty things when they have the power and votes to do so.
New for the 60 year anniversary of 20th Century Studios "Planet of the Apes" - the Complete Deluxe Blue Ray Box Set! With over 72 hours of primate auditions - find out who made the cut and who didn't. Witness the movie magic that got them to make those such true-to-life facial expressions! Listen to their off-screen reactions to Charlton Heston repeatably calling them damned and dirty!
It's all in the "Planet of the Apes - 60th Anniversary Complete Deluxe Blue Ray Box Set!"
Dear Levi’s,
I am writing to inform you that my recent purchase of “Men’s Ribozyme Pant - the only jean that contours to your biology” has spliced my legs off.
In retrospect, I realize I should have been more judicious in my jean selection.
New for Sid Meier AI Incarnate's Civilization 24: Play as infamous 7-time (and counting) President Donald Trump!
Personality:
Aggression Score: Varies per round
+30 diplomacy points to players following the government: autocracy, monarchy, fascism, corporate kleptocracy
+30 points to players following the government: theocracy and the same religion
-30 diplomacy to players with settlements within 6 tiles of him
-30 to players following the government: Philosophy, Freedom, Digital Democracy
+30 points to war mongers and players who have killed other players
-20 points if the player total score is less than 40% his score
+20 for gifts of gold per turn that are at least 10% of his current gold per turn
+10 points for military parades
-100 points for denouncements but +120 points if player attempts to declare friendship after denouncement ends
Theme: Make America Great Again! and Again. and Again... and Again.....
+10 Religion points per city
-10 Happiness to cities with population > 5
-8 Science
+4 Food to all cities with <5 population that are not within 6 tiles of another player's borders
+1 Gold per city but -3 Gold to cities that are within 6 tiles of another player's borders
Apostles automatically gain the "fervent believer" trait
+4 religion points
-1 science points
+1 climate damage
+5 health for each opponent unit defeated within 1 tile
Can convert into a militia or engineer unit for 10 turns
Unique Wonder: Southern White House
+75 gold for each player spy or diplomat that occupies this wonder; player's spy/diplomat gains two levels of insight and spies operate at +5 in the city that contains this wonder
Must be built near a lake and ocean tile
Unique Building: Golf Course
+1 Happiness but only for 1 of every 10 city population (min = 1)
+1 Culture points
+3 Religion points
+1 climate damage
Must be built on: marsh, rainforest, beach, archaeological site, natural wonder or national park
Unique Building: Frac Well (Replaces Windmill)
+4 Production
+5 Gold
+10 climate damage
+3 Energy
-3 Appeal
Can only be built by engineers
Can be built on opponents territory, when constructed in this manner -4 happiness to the player where this building resides
Unique Victory Condition: Art of the Steal
Can only be won if 3 players or more exist
All players are under the following governments: corporate kleptocracy, fascism, anarchy
Funnyish story though, this no bikes thing has happened to me thrice on my bicycle adventures.
In Norfolk, VA I went straight instead of making a right and promptly landed on 64, with no way to go backwards, I hopped a fence and landed in an industrial park with a decent coffee shop, remapped my route and then gave it another go.
In trying to flee hurricane Irene on a particularly long road trip, I ended up having to cross the St John’s river bridge because the ferries by that time of night were closed and I had to get into Newport News to stay at my friend’s for the night. It was a shitty situation all around. I feel it was the closest to death I have ever been in my life and I have had a few doozies. I do not recommend ever ever doing this and will never do it again, ever.
Recently from El Escorial to Madrid with limited cell service, I landed myself on M-503 for a stretch. While this kind of road with broad shoulders in the US permits bikes, they do not in Spain. I was able to pull off onto a finca road and then eventually a greenway, but not before crossing a beautiful large rust colored bridge (with a decent shoulder).
I’ve been long distance biking for 20 years now and have had some excellent adventures, so fortunately these kind of wrong turn experiences have been few and far between.
There is a really great documentary on PBS right now about a group of kids who crossed the entire US on bike for charity in the early 80s, I highly recommend it. https://www.pbs.org/video/once-in-a-lifetime-qtroq8/
I think I follow US politics pretty closely for the most part. Obviously every presidential election is important. However, there have been a few that have been critically so in my lifetime. I’ll leave it up to you to determine which ones were most important to you.
So, is 2024 the most important election of our lifetimes? Well, I suppose that depends on whether you value living in a democracy. For me, that is a resounding yes.