Christmas Day Open Thread
What ever happened to Kwanzaa? It’s almost like it’s disappeared from the radar.
Unless Kim Jung Un launches a balllistic missile or does something else dramatic today, it’s likely to be a slow news day.
So use this post to wish each other well, argue, or post things of interest in the comments. As long as you keep it clean, there is nothing “off topic.”
Some quick thoughts from me.
We haven’t published reader-submitted bumper sticker photos in a long time. For a reminder, scroll through our Bumper Sticker Tag, all 58 pages of them dating back to 2010, totaling over 500 in all. Check out Best Bumper Stickers of 2012. It seems that bumper stickers in the anti-Obama era were so much more fun. Anti-Trump bumper stickers lack humor and are just angry. But a small number of readers have sent me images recently. Should we resume?
What ever happened to Kwanzaa? It used to be it was all over the news, now you hardly hear anything about it. Of course, it was a recently invented holiday meant to take away from Christmas. Now that Christmas is *legal* again under Trump, maybe Kwanzaa has lost its purpose.
What are Democrats praying for this Christmas? Here’s a partial list, all of which involve some dramatic harm to the U.S. that will hurt Trump’s chances of reelection:
1. North Korea: Democrats’ precarious electoral situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part, and Kim Jung Un may be just the guy to do it. A long-range missile here, a ‘boom’ there, come on Kim, Democrats need you.
2. The economy, boy they’re stupid: The media tried this year to talk us into a recession. They could taste it and they were salivating. But it didn’t happen. Not even close. Guess what? The economy is so strong, it has only once place to go: DOWN!
3. Conflict with Iran: Mullah, Mullah on the wall, what have you got in store to help Democrats win? Sink a tanker? Shoot down another drone. Drag the region into conflict with U.S. troops in the middle of it all? Trump will be blamed by the media, so for Democrats, it’s all upside.
This meme sums it up.
That’s it from me for the moment.
Merry Christmas to our readers, and even to the commenters.
[Featured image via Linda in Tennessee]
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Comments
Merry Christmas erryone!
Merry Christmas to all, and hopes for a 2020 landslide for the Pres.
Something that hasn’t been touched on lately is the issue of those states which pledged to dump their electoral college votes on the national popular vote winner, regardless of how their own state voted. I’m wondering if they, or their lefty anarchists, have figured out that if President Trump wins with a landslide, it follows that he may also win the popular vote. Conceivably, the lefties could watch their heavily blue votes being nullified live on election night. Can anyone imagine the wailing in California (if that were one of them) if President Trump was handed all of their electoral votes?
At some point, will a conservative SCOTUS have to rule on the constitutionality of this attempt to destroy the electoral college?
Sorry to burst your bubble, but “conservative SCOTUS” may just be a bigger oxymoron than military intelligence.
I have no doubt that their proposal is constitutional, but the first time a Republican wins the popular vote while the majority of electors are Dems they will forget their deal and vote for the Dem. Which means the whole thing is futile.
I am quite certain the popular vote compact is unconstitutional due to the 14th and 24th amendments, which clearly state the people of a state the right to vote for THEIR electors. Awarding the electors to a candidate who lost in the state negates the vote of the people.
The two current ways of awarding electors meet the right to vote for electors, all to the statewide winner, or one for each CD and 2 for the statewide winner. I prefer the latter method.
Also meeting the requirement would be listing the electors themselves and letting people vote for them, with or without candidate names attached. Theoretically a state could hold a popular vote for POTUS and a separate vote for electors, and the lesser informed voter could cast a vote for POTUS and an elector who’s going to vote for another candidate.
Awarding electors proportionally by vote in the state fails to meet the requirement to vote for electors because maybe you wanted elector #17 and your slate only got to #16. No way to know who YOU voted for. Not that anyone bothers to know in any event, but you can if you want to.
No, they don’t. Go read them, they state no such thing.
This is nonsense. Not only because there is no such requirement, but also because with proportional voting a vote for a slate is a vote for the first member on the slate, with the second as the voter’s second preference, the third as their third, etc.
I have read them. Perhaps you should.
14th: 2: Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age,…
The right to vote for electors is quite clearly stated.
Amendment 24: 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.
Really, it hard to get much more clear. The right to vote for electors is established in those two amendments. It’s sophistry to give any other meaning to the words.
You’re wrong on three separate counts.
1. Your claim that these amendments “clearly state the people of a state the right to vote for THEIR electors” is simply false. The phrase “their electors” does not appear anywhere. You made it up. A state legislature can decide that its citizens will vote, together with those of all the other states, for all the electors rather than for that state’s specific ones.
2. Nowhere in the constitution is there a right to vote for electors at all. It is entirely up to each state legislature whether to grant such a right, and if so to whom and on what terms. Originally there were no limits on that power, but several amendments have gradually limited the state legislatures’ flexibility by saying that if they choose to grant such a right, they may not restrict it on certain grounds. They may still restrict it on any other grounds, or not grant it in the first place.
3. Even if you could read the 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th amendments as granting a right to vote (they don’t), the 14th explicitly doesn’t. On the contrary, it explicitly recognizes that there is no such thing as a right to vote, that state legislatures were then completely unrestricted in their power to limit the franchise as they pleased, and it does nothing to restrict them. It merely imposes a penalty on states that choose to exercise that power to limit the franchise by race. It was the 15th amendment that for the first time restricted that power, and told the states “forget the penalty, you just can’t do that”.
Article 1, section 10
Sounds pretty clear to me, but the First and Second amendments sound pretty clear too and that doesn’t stop Democrats, the left, from trying.
The Supreme Court decided long ago that this clause obviously only applies to compacts that increase the states’ political power at the expense of that of the United States, and cannot apply to compacts that don’t affect anyone but the contracting states, such as an agreement for one state to sell some property to the other, or to use the other’s canals to transport its property, or to join together to drain a swamp on the two states’ border.
Since the method for choosing electors is a matter entirely for the state legislatures, and the United States plays no role in it, this proposed compact cannot encroach on the United States’ power, so it doesn’t need Congress’s consent.
I’d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I hope you are all enjoying time with family, appreciating the blessings of life, eating lots of good food and playing with the kids.
PS: Epstein didn’t kill himself.
I’ve heard that he has cremated himself when no one was looking.
I just returned from a long trip, leaving Los Angeles, down around South America, and back home Monday from Buenos Aires…
Coming back to my neighborhood, I realized that we are blessed to live in this country.
Merry Christmas to everyone here, especially little Walt.
His very first Christmas.. I hope the first of many more.
Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate the festival of lights.
I don’t really know any Hebrew, but this…
Shalom.
THIS is what happened to Kwanzaa – https://youtu.be/we2iWTJqo98
Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah everyone.
Snort…good one Granny, I missed that 10 years ago.
Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas!
I just finished reading Firt Maccabbees. Although I do not recognize it as canonical, it’s a good tale written by a pious author, and has some real historical value.
Well, if we must discuss something…
Boris Johnson’s hair style, Pro-Israel stance, and Einstein
Go.
What’s wrong with Boris Johnson’s hairstyle?
What hair-style?
Appreciate the Christmas posting Prof. Jacobson. Thanks. I’m also thankful for your blog, which Ive been reading since its inception. Nice Christmas morning here in Montana. I’m listening to the Peter Paul & Mary Christmas Concert this morning. Beautiful still. Best to all. Better days ahead…if we make it so.
Bumper stickers – please resume, preferably with posts featuring multiple stickers.
On a related note, I haven’t snapped a pic of a good license plate in a while (remember CVFEFE?). But it’s not for lack of trying. I’m constantly on the lookout for worthy plates.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
In my thoughts today, young Walt with his team and family getting him bigger and stronger each and every day. Those around around the world and at home that give me the opportunity to express my views without looking over my shoulder. Also my friends and family ,to the Gibson family , who stood up to the bully and is winning in court. David, you are not forgotten.
A special thank you to all of those associated with this site and the contributions you make, I discovered this site just this year and has been an enlightening experience.
Professor Jacobson, the LI team and to the great commenters here
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.
Thank you for providing this site,
one of the last I feel comfortable posting to.
I always loved the bumper stickers, but you are correct, angry does not enrich my life. Please all…look hard, there has to be some good ones.
Merry First Christmas Walt.
I love Boris’s hair, thank goodness he doesn’t have to do the sheepdog.
Apparently hair style is the important talent for leadership. Works for me.
My prayers to the soldiers in Afghanistan who have lost team members.
The Gibson family.
Our Country and leadership.
Again, Merry Christmas all.
Kwanzaa is being retooled to celebrate the birth date of Obama…The One. At the moment of his birth he was instantaneously translated from Kenya to Hawaii. His father’s DNA was miraculously changed from Frank Marshall Davis to Barack Obama, Sr. These miracles will allow him to be canonized in Progressive theology.
I, on the other hand, embrace the Nicene Creed although the Apostles’ Creed cuts to the chase quicker. Amen.
Merry Christmas! For all of G_d’s faithful…Happy Hannukah!
Happy Hannukah! and Merry Christmas! to one and all.
Merry Christmas!
As for Kwanzaa, I would like to think Ann Coulter’s annual column on it’s creation by — what — was it CIA or FBI? — has put the silver bullet into it…
R.I.P., Kwanzaa…
Thank you, Ann Coulter.
Merry Christmas to the Professor, and his crew, and all the commenters.
LI, and Rush, are the two things that kept me sane through the dark years, from ’08 to ’16. It’s nice to see the Dimocrats go from scary, to scared, since President Trump’s election, and LI showcases their insanity quite well.
The California Republican Party must do something to improve their chances in elections. Try holding a party caucus where they select on Republican candidate to run in the primaries and elections. At least all Republicans could vote together for their candidate who would have a better chance of winning or at least coming in second.
To the Professor and his family, may the light of Hanukkah shine upon you and give you peace. Same goes for all of the people of the Torah here.
To the Christians among us, may the light of Christ shine upon you and give you peace. Same goes for those who are questioning their beliefs, or who may not have beliefs.
we’re celebrating our 25th christmas here at the ranch and am reminded again of the mysterious duality of time–one the one hand seems as though we’ve been here but a few years and on the other a good hunk of a lifetime
we are all fortunate, still, to live in this great country and many of us are even more fortunate to live here under the lone star
believe that with our support, President Trump can fulfill his goal of returning our country to a place and a culture much closer to our founding principles–a place once more full of promise and of hope–a place and a heritage we can proudly pass on to our descendants–a place where individual freedoms are alive and thriving
whatever your faith may be(or not)life is a precious thing indeed and would ask only the blessing to be able to live it in peace
Merry Christmas to you all
I’m hoping my democrat rep has family chanting TRUMP,TRUMP, TRUMP at her all day long.
I’m going to send her an email stating the above.
Merry Christmas all.
Kwanzaa is still celebrated in Wakanda.
My discovery of the Gospel in Mathematics:
https://m.facebook.com/notes/gods-number/gods-number/910618485653615/ .
A colored graph summarizing/showing the result:
https://scontent.fewr1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/12239648_910626895652774_4825532813177901470_n.png?_nc_cat=106&efg=eyJpIjoibCJ9&_nc_oc=AQk0a2iydRrdgGgTn1hsuKVEVqdh4JsSvKKsspbTghRfH-ZOke3Y34jAZ_WfU6mRkYAsez7ww0yZnfuM9LnC2vvS&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-2.fna&oh=d356664b377c2bc79d9de877c5c0dd41&oe=5EB0CFCD
(At the end of the article at the first link above is a “verbal” description of the colored graph found at the second link above.)
Merry Christmas to all here. May the blessings of God and the knowledge of and joy of Christ fill your minds and hearts this holiday season, and throughout 2020. May God turn America to Him, and may God bless America.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life — No one comes to God the Father but through Him.