Stu News' Eighth Anniversary

 Hello everyone! My Facebook comedy page turns eight this week, and I am announcing the revival of a contest from last year. Also, a rare opportunity for my blog readers to see and hear yours truly:  

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Epilogue for a Disputed Election

 I spent most of election night *not* watching news coverage. After the mercurial election cycle of our lifetimes, I had to take a deep breath and step back. I saw a glimpse of early election results on a 60" TV as I was driving early that evening, then after dinner I spent most of the evening writing and filling out a job application.

The fact that the presidential race was so close is appalling. My worst assumptions about how Trump supporters won't waver were confirmed as Tuesday night dragged on. Even more disturbing is that 56% of white women voted Trump, which is a 3% increase from 2016. (I'm not even going to bother looking at the white guy vote.) Biden's supporters were a tight alliance of people of color, the marginalized, or both. That was what carried Biden to a razor-thin victory.

As I write this, only Georgia and North Carolina haven't been called, but it's a moot point now. This election was a rebuke of the entire Trump administration, and it's clear that more Americans than not have had enough. Trump's lapdogs are assisting him in disputing the election results, claiming voter fraud without any substantial evidence. A litany of frivolous lawsuits are pending.

Joe Biden and the Democrats did not put together a great campaign. In fact, it was almost Hillary 2016-level incompetent. Stronger campaigns were built around weaker candidates during the primaries. And yet, Biden 2020 didn't have to be well-run. There were enough exasperated Americans to get Biden over the hump.

In the end, America will get what it needs, rather than what it wants.

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Akin to Idiocy

No pun intended, but Todd Akin is screwed. In an election where women's health rights has been running side-by-side with the economy as the topic of choice, Akin's "legitimate rape" remark was a staggering and potentially lethal blunder.  There is no exaggerated overaction here, what he said was beyond appalling. Worse yet, this proves the fallacy of male politicians determining what a woman should do with her body. Whether Akin stays in the race --he wants to, but the GOP is pressuring him to quit-- what should have been a fair victory over a weak incumbent is now looking like a clear Claire McCaskill victory. When noted pro-lifers like John Boehner and Mitch McConnell are asking you to quit, you're done for.

Other notes:

+ So it turned out Jesse Jackson Jr. has bipolar disorder, a serious mental health condition. If my previous comments about the congressman seemed insensitive, it was only because of the suspicious manner in which Jackson disappeared from DC and public view. On the national scene, he's more famous for being the son of a garrelous far-left activist than anything else. Word in Chicago is, Triple J is still favored to keep his seat in November but not by a landslide.

+ To reiterate: reports of nationwide voter fraud have been greatly exaggerated.

+ Remember my mindest list for the high school class of 2012 (college class of 2016)? Here's the real deal, as depressing as ever.

Next week: the year in music... you know what? I'll let you guess. At this point, I've covered every year between 1964 and 2011 except one. Whoever guesses right wins a cookie.

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