US Presidental Election

[tango]

Kind of academic now, but I can't help wondering what it was that so many liked about the candidate who fell at the first hurdle in the 2020 primaries but ended up at the top of the ticket because Biden insisted on having a black woman as his running mate. Because nothing says "quality candidate" quite like the one who nobody wanted but who gets pushed to the top anyway for nothing more than having enough melanin and a double-X chromosome.

I often think of the British Conservative party, loosely comparable to the Republicans. For a time they were derided as the nasty party, the place where old racists, misogynists and homophobes went to vote. But the Conservative party has brought the UK three female Prime Ministers (although admittedly Liz Truss is perhaps best forgotten), a non-white Prime Minister, and has recently elected the first black woman to lead a major party. All this without insisting on women-only shortlists, DEI candidates or anything else, merely letting candidates stand and letting the people vote. No other British party has managed to get anyone other than a white man into 10 Downing street.

[RabbiKnife]

The USA is filled with about 45% narcissists who care only about whether someone likes them or not, so if a large enough slice of culture convinces them that they will be liked if they promise to like a crustacean, then the insecure narcissists will begin a campaign to shame anyone that shames shellfish.

[Sojourner]

Ah, there is jubilation among conservatives today, (but weeping and wailing in the realm of the left). While not a slam dunk, Trump pulled ahead of Harris early in the race and maintained his lead to win handily. Having secured the White House and Senate, (and hopefully the House), the Republicans are poised to begin the work of righting our course and getting our house in order. I'm so thankful that the progressive agenda has been disrupted, and hope when the dust settles, we can begin to unite as a country, and have some sense of normalcy restored.

[RabbiKnife]

On a purely selfish note, this gives me a four year time frame in which:
1. the law firm will buy all of my stock in 48 equal payments starting January 1, with the outstanding balance earning a healthy 8% per year.
2.  on January 1, 2029, they make their final lump sum payment to me.
3.  that gives me four years to work as much and where I want, to invest as I want, to buy the land the Mrs. and I want, and to design and build our "final home."
4.  To transition from full time lawyering back into full time ministry.

I like the next four years.