Truck driver leads NJ Senate president after spending $153 on campaign • Hacker News Board

Re: Truck driver leads NJ Senate president after spending $153 on campaign

#131

Post by themgt » Wed, Nov 03, 2021, 9:48 PM UTC

davidw wrote: post #27

PKop wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoting Durr in Politico: [0] Durr said Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s coronavirus executive orders, vaccine and school mask, unemployment benefits snafus and a general distrust of the South Jersey Democratic machine that has dominated the region for years all contributed to his strong performance. Sweeney, Durr said, “never challenged” Murphy during the pandemic. “You have the debacle of unemployment. The masking of…

I'm beginning to come around to this point of view: https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/peacefield/617c7b245793d... - we are not a serious nation. There's a global pandemic caused by an airborne pathogen, and people throw an absolute hissy fit over a minor inconvenience like masks. My kids wear them all day long in school, and while they don't love them, they are not constantly whining about them like some adults. My…

Fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask in most settings.

The choice is yours: get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do.

- The White House, May 14, 2021

https://www.facebook.com/WhiteHouse/videos/its-vaxxed-or-mas...

Re: Truck driver leads NJ Senate president after spending $153 on campaign

#132

Post by soperj » Wed, Nov 03, 2021, 9:48 PM UTC

jterrys wrote: post #114

celtain wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be clear though, that was a somewhat unusual race, e.g. the incumbent progressive Democrat probably would have won if he hadn't been knocked out in the primary. The ex-Democrat, Obama/Clinton/Biden-voting Republican who won benefited greatly from the fact that her opponent had some pretty radical views, too radical even for Seattle.

I'm not up to date on city politics, but I had a friend that used to live in Seattle for a while. She kind of hightailed it outta there once she found a remote job because of the homelessness/drug problem. Told me people protested the museum downtown for installing architecture that made setting up homeless tents hostile, and that the city's solution to the drug problem (induced by already decriminalizing hard drugs)…

You say that like the war on drugs is the solution? Do you think that any of these people don't use drugs because it's a crime? It's just making their life worse.

Re: Truck driver leads NJ Senate president after spending $153 on campaign

#133

Post by colinmhayes » Wed, Nov 03, 2021, 9:48 PM UTC

busymom0 wrote: post #95

post_break wrote: post #77

I find this part hilarious "Durr said he entered the race after being denied a concealed carry permit despite having a clean record." So the state with one of the most strict gun laws burns someone, and now he's probably going to win. I wonder if he's going to start turning screws to get their permit issue laws changed. Did you know in NJ you can not posses hollow point bullets? You can go to jail. 18 months in priso…

Gun control is over in Virginia at least. The Lt. Governor's election campaign was her at a gun range. And Governor Youngkin is also pro-2A. When 25.8% of the shootings are coming from Chicago which has just 0.8% population, maybe it's time to focus on gangs instead of making life miserable for legal gun owners.

Democrats still control the senate in virginia so I'm not sure gun control is over.

Biased because I live in Chicago, but it's legitimately impossible to stop gangs as long as it's possible to get a gun. As soon as someone is arrested there are 5 kids ready to take their place. The only solutions to gun violence here are end poverty or stop guns from out of state from entering the city.

Re: Truck driver leads NJ Senate president after spending $153 on campaign

#134

Post by davidw » Wed, Nov 03, 2021, 9:49 PM UTC

themgt wrote: post #131

davidw wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm beginning to come around to this point of view: https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/peacefield/617c7b245793d... - we are not a serious nation. There's a global pandemic caused by an airborne pathogen, and people throw an absolute hissy fit over a minor inconvenience like masks. My kids wear them all day long in school, and while they don't love them, they are not constantly whining about them like some adults. My…

Fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask in most settings. The choice is yours: get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do. - The White House, May 14, 2021 https://www.facebook.com/WhiteHouse/videos/its-vaxxed-or-mas...

'When the facts change, I change my mind - what do you do, sir?'

It looked like things were improving, and the more contagious Delta variant (or, as the airline likes to write, B.1.617.2) turned up.

Where I live in Oregon, our hospital was overflowing with people towards the end of summer, to the point where people have died because they couldn't get 'elective' surgery. In that kind of situation, you use a 'defense in depth' strategy, which includes both vaccines and masks.

It's really not that big of a problem to wear one.

Re: Truck driver leads NJ Senate president after spending $153 on campaign

#135

Post by caseysoftware » Wed, Nov 03, 2021, 9:49 PM UTC

stickyricky wrote: post #5

umvi wrote: post #2

Any (relatively) unbiased sources that explain how NJ got into this predicament? Just current leadership being out of touch with the wants/needs of NJ citizens?

There is an interesting story about Madigan in Chicago. Ran the Illinois machine. Corrupt as all hell. A college student decided to run against him and collected enough signatures to get on the ballot. Madigan typically ran unopposed. Well come to find about, of the 500 people who signed the petition to get this kid on the ballot, 1200 rescinded their support. You do the math. These people aren't loved. They just kno…

Grew up near Chicago but long gone before this happened so I looked it up:

> Krupa needed 473 valid signatures of ward residents to get on the ballot. He filed 1,729 signatures with the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. He earlier said he filed 1,703 but missed a page of signatures.

> A crew of mysterious political workers — perhaps they were Buddhist monks, or the gentle sun people known as the Eloi, or maybe Madigan precinct captains — filed 2,796 petitions of revocation of signature. That means 2,796 ward residents filed legal affidavits that they wanted their signatures taken off Krupa’s petitions.

> The Madigan men filed 187 affidavits of revocation matching Krupa signatures. But Dorf, a progressive who’d done election work for the late Mayor Harold Washington and former President Barack Obama, put in a Freedom of Information Act request asking the board to give him all the revocations affidavits that were filed.

> All 2,796 of them.

> “And that’s where the fraud comes in, that’s where the felonies come in,” Dorf said. “Almost 2,800 affidavits were filed. But only 1,726 people signed petitions for Krupa. And of the 2,800 affidavits, the 13th Ward could only find 187 signatures that matched.

> Subtract 187 from 2,796 and you get 2,609 — that’s a lot of possible felonies, either perjury or voter intimidation.

Ref: https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/john-kass/ct-met-chic...

Re: Truck driver leads NJ Senate president after spending $153 on campaign

#136

Post by busymom0 » Wed, Nov 03, 2021, 9:49 PM UTC

Loughla wrote: post #111

wyager wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This truck driver has a bit more credibility when signaling “down to earth” than GWB. People like down to earth politicians because it’s less likely they’re aspirational psychopaths who will sell out their selectorate.

I mean, it's just the old argument of does the power corrupt or do the corrupt seek out power. I believe it's the power itself. I do not believe politicians go into politics exclusively for what they can gain. I believe many, if not most, really believe their ideas are best and can help people. . . the graft and corruption just sort of comes in later when they realize all that is possible.

Career politicians definitely stay in to seek power and money. But a life time truck driver isn't likely going for that I think.

Re: Truck driver leads NJ Senate president after spending $153 on campaign

#137

Post by voz_ » Wed, Nov 03, 2021, 9:49 PM UTC

busymom0 wrote: post #121

nostromo wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s been a selling point in Seattle for a long time. Apparently she was just a bridge too far with tweets like these: https://www.twitter.com/ntkallday/status/1287215672372625410 https://www.twitter.com/ntkallday/status/1282015687603417089... Or deleted tweets like “I have not taken any of this anti bias training but i for sure hate this country” Keep in mind, 40% of votes went to this candidate. Her campaign mana…

> YAY! Thank you to the heroes that set the Children's Jail on fire. > This is a nice start. Lookin good Kenosha. (entire car lots burnt to the ground) And she was running to be the Attorney?

The progressive take at the moment is that law and order is evil, better to have cities like SF where criminal thugs punch sweet old asian women in the street and rob them.

Re: Truck driver leads NJ Senate president after spending $153 on campaign

#138

Post by PaulDavisThe1st » Wed, Nov 03, 2021, 9:49 PM UTC

CWuestefeld wrote: post #105

PaulDavisThe1st wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

sort of like how GW Bush was the one you'd rather have a beer with (than Al Gore)? When will Americans realize that being "the sort of down to earth person you'd rather have a beer with" is not a qualification for political office?

I assume that "rather have a beer with" is a proxy for "has similar values to me" and "seems honest". Those seem reasonable qualifications for at least some offices. What would you place higher, for which offices?

I'd rank higher than beer-ability:

   * ability to hold, and describe, contradictory ideas
   * ability to convey complex policies in a way that doesn't bore people
   * ability to pick the right people to work with, and specifically the avoidance of a "yes-men" bubble
   * ability to listen to and have a reasonable understanding of scientific advice
   * previous independent out-of-country, out-of-language travel experience
   * display a clear understanding of the full scope of political ideology, and of why their positions are what they are
   * be awesome in the media of the day

Re: Truck driver leads NJ Senate president after spending $153 on campaign

#139

Post by lalaithion » Wed, Nov 03, 2021, 9:50 PM UTC

voz_ wrote: post #130

vkou wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seattle has always been a socially liberal, bend-over-backwards for business town. It's how it can legalize marijuana and magic mushrooms, while having 11,000 people living in tents and homeless shelters. Unsurprisingly, since nobody likes seeing tents in city parks, and by the I-5 on-ramps, the city voted for a slate of politicians that will... Maintain the status quo. There's no plan for getting ~5,500 people house…

I don't want status quo, but I also don't want them housed. I want the ones that steal, rape, squat in parks, do drugs, sell drugs, defecate in public, and litter to all be thrown in jail.

So you want the government to house them at taxpayer cost!

Re: Truck driver leads NJ Senate president after spending $153 on campaign

#140

Post by generalk » Wed, Nov 03, 2021, 9:50 PM UTC

PKop wrote: post #46

busymom0 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kids have the most psychological development from looking at people's faces, emotions and smiles. Saying that's a "minor inconvenience" is silly. Especially since there's negligible risks for them. And mandating something which neither prevents catching, nor transmitting the virus is definitely not a "minor inconvenience". EDIT: In my last sentence, I wasn't referring to masks. I was referring to vaccine mandates whi…

Blocking the faces of children in the prime of their life, where they need to develop social skills through interaction and facial expression, is madness. The covid risk for children is a rounding error. This is not prudent risk management; mind-boggling for someone from the tech industry who should be able to do a cursory look at statistics and dismiss this practice out of hand.

  > Blocking the faces of children in the prime of their 
  > life, where they need to develop social skills through 
  > interaction and facial expression, is madness.

[Citation needed.] I am unable to find a single reliable source that says mask wearing has any sociological or psychological effect on children or anyone else. Anecdotally, I haven't seen anything like that. Just typical kids.

  > The covid risk for children is a rounding error.

Again, who says that's true? Can't find it. The Ohio Department of Health maintains a dashboard[1] for this, which indicates that it's significant enough to track, and the numbers there sure aren't "rounding error" numbers.

Assuming what you meant is "children are less likely to develop severe symptoms," and also that that's true: they can still spread the virus to the adults they live with in their homes, or the many adults that share the school building they're in. (Did you think we just shove kids in an adult-less environment, or that teachers are somehow immune?)

[1]: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/dashboa...