2016 Elections

[rstrong]

Is this about Rob Ford? Are you trying to top us?

[Mr.B]

I happen to like mountains, but wtf are "mountain values"? Are they supposed to be superior to foothills, piedmont, coastal, prairie, wetland, swamp, island, etc. values, does it matter if the mountains are forested, alpine or desert, and does pretentiously claiming that they are superior actually make them inferior?

Because they never define mountain values I must conclude it's because they're actually too embarrassed to say what they really mean.

Letter to the editor in the Citizen-Times:
"I’m intrigued by this year’s buzzword, “mountain values.” Exactly what does that mean? Is it saying the values of mountain people are somehow more desirable than the values of folks not living in the mountains? Does it refer to all people who live in the mountains, regardless of political affiliation, or is it about folks who live in the mountains and espouse a certain party?
I believe the people living here are not intrinsically different from those living elsewhere, and the term “mountain values” really conveys nothing...in other words, a classic buzzword."
Bruce Van Deuson, Barnardsville

John Boyle column; Citizen-Times: "Mountain values'? I've seen them in person"
Every election season, the term surfaces, usually without much clarity or explanation.

I'm talking about the expression "mountain values," which has become a common election-year slogan, to the point where it really might not mean much to most folks. Politicians love using it in ads, usually when attacking their opponents for not having them, or sometimes while touting their own bounty of mountain values and assuring voters that they, and only they, share them with you.

But as far as I can tell, no one has ever really offered a good definition of what "mountain values" really means.
I've lived here 21 years, and I've developed some theories on it, and I'm actually pretty sure I know more than a few people who really embody mountain values. To me, they stand out for their fairness, decency, wit and story-telling abilities, as well as a steadiness and perseverance that resembles the sturdiness of our peaks.

But Jim Buchanan, our former editorial page editor, was the only one of these who grew up in these mountains and was truly of these mountains. He grew up hunting, hiking and camping in the mountains, absorbing stories and skills from his legendary bear-hunting father in Jackson County.
I remember one time Jim and I were having a discussion about what we called ourselves, profession-wise. I said I usually refer to myself as a journalist, or maybe sometimes as a reporter or columnist. Jim has been all of these during a long career, but he had a different answer.

"I'm a newspaperman," he said.

Simply put, when I think of "mountain values," I think of people like Jim Buchanan, not necessarily the politicians trying to get elected.
To me, someone with mountain values has, above all, a sense of decency and empathy that is forged in generations of enduring in a place that can be hard on men and women. When you and your forebears understand the hard work, sweat and blood it took to make a go of it in this frontier, I think it gives you a sense that everybody out there is enduring a struggle.

And that translates into patience and decency. Jim always had a knack for dealing with even the most difficult members of the public with patience, respect and kindness, no matter whether they had a Ph.D. or an eighth-grade education, whether they wore suits or coveralls.
He understands the folks from here, and he welcomes and tries to understand the newcomers. Jim also understands deep in his core that we need to always strive to be better people, to lend a hand when we don't necessarily feel like it, to consider another viewpoint and, above all, to be fair. And it helps if you can tell a good story and have a sly sense of humor while doing it.

Jim can spin a yarn with the best of them, and he's given me some of the best laughs I've had here at the paper.
And, if he's reading this, I suspect Jim Buchanan is hating that I singled him out for praise. That's because genuine humility goes hand-in-hand with "mountain values."

Some people talk about them. Jim Buchanan embodies them.

Having been born in and grown up in the mountains, I can see the difference in "mountain values" vs. the "values" that have been transplanted here from other areas. A few examples:

There was a time when you went to bed at night you didn't worry about locking your doors, your automobiles, or your tool sheds.
If you told someone you would do something or you lent them money, it was sealed with a handshake.
A man's word was honorable.
A man's devotion to God and his church was revered.
It was the man's place to protect and keep his house in order, as well as provide.
Children obeyed their parent(s).
Brothers and sisters looked after each other.

Simply put, "mountain values" is honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness...something you see very little of these days, nor is it being taught.
It's not "rocket surgery" to simply look around and see the vastly different attitudes prevalent in our society today.

I could go on, but my point is that "mountain values" is not political values. For any politician to claim he/she has "mountain values" as a way to gain voter confidence, they're only revealing their transparency, because we all know how the political machine operates.

[rstrong]

How is that different from say, prairie values?

[JTA]

This election is way too close for comfort...

[Mr.B]

"How is that different from say, prairie values?"

Way over your head; if you have to ask, you wouldn't understand.

[rstrong]

"How is that different from say, prairie values?"

Way over your head; if you have to ask, you wouldn't understand.

You don't have an intelligent answer. Got it.

[rstrong]

This election is way too close for comfort...

The New York Times is currently giving Trump an 82% chance of winning.

[JTA]

Shhhiiitt.

[rstrong]

Update: Now 95%

[rstrong]

Trump wins North Carolina.

[JTA]

[rstrong]

Global markets tank, currencies go wild and gold rises.

I've never seen an entire planet do a facepalm before.

[rstrong]

Other weird news tonight: Canada's Immigration Site Keeps Crashing For Some Reason

[bannination]

Global markets tank, currencies go wild and gold rises.

I've never seen an entire planet do a facepalm before.

Shit, that means I've got to move some investments out of stock. Grrrrrrr

[JTA]

What if Trump ends up being the best president we've ever had?

[Mr.B]

"What if Trump ends up being the best president we've ever had?"

That possibility exists, but in this volatile world, the office of president is not the place for on-the-job-training.

I was not not happy with the two choices for POTUS, but given the choice of the two, I voted for who I thought would be the best choice.

[Mr.B]

Other weird news tonight: Canada's Immigration Site Keeps Crashing For Some Reason

I wonder why? Visa applications?

[Vrede too]

Party at rstrong's place (we'll never leave).

My votes:

POTUS:
I wasted what could have been a perfectly good protest vote.
NC:
Donald J. Trump 49.90%
Hillary Clinton 46.13%
Gary Johnson 2.72%
Write-In (Miscellaneous) 1.23%
Jill Stein (Write-In) 0.01%
Trump only needed 0.11% of the nearly 4% of protest votes for a majority.
The only candidate that the Dems could have put up that Trump could beat is Hillary."
-- Jeff Greenfield
We should have gone with Bernie.

Senate, House 11, State offices and State Senate 48:
All Dem except that I'm voting for incumbent Dietz (R) for NC Court of Appeals.
US SENATE
Richard Burr REP 51.11%
Deborah K. Ross DEM 45.33%
Crap, but not a surprise. Ross could have run a better campaign.
GOVERNOR
Roy Cooper 48.97%
Pat McCrory 48.86%
Sweet , McCrory got beat up by a bunch of trannies.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Josh Stein DEM 50.23%
Buck Newton REP 49.77%
AUDITOR
Beth A. Wood DEM 50.03%
Chuck Stuber REP 49.97%
SECRETARY OF STATE
Elaine Marshall DEM 52.23%
Michael LaPaglia REP 47.77%
The GOP won LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE, COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE, COMMISSIONER OF LABOR, SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION & TREASURER. Could have been worse.

Forgot to mention:
NC Supreme Court
Mike Morgan
Michael R. (Mike) Morgan 54.45%
Robert H. (Bob) Edmunds 45.55%
Excellent.

COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE
GOP 5-0.

STATE SENATE DISTRICT 48
Chuck Edwards REP 62.03%
Norman Bossert DEM 37.97%
Yep, that's where I live.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/p ... 28468.html

... The Republicans have controlled the General Assembly since 2011, when they took charge of both the House and Senate for the first time since Reconstruction. During the 2015-16 legislative session, they controlled the Senate 34-16 and the House 74-45 with one GOP-leaning unaffilated member.

By controlling three-fifths of seats in each chamber since 2013, they held supermajorities, which allowed them to override any veto by the governor if nearly all GOP members supported it.

To end the supermajority, Democrats on Tuesday needed to win either five net seats in the Senate or four net seats in the House.

That looked more likely to happen in the House than in the Senate. Republicans looked unlikely to lose many Senate seats and possibly able to pick up at least one to strengthen their majority....

Henderson County Board of Education:
Seeking advice from Babs Newton and Eva Ritchey. 4 GOP are running against 4 undeclared incumbents that voted to keep Hendersonville Elementary segregated by race and class. Maybe I'll write in some radical educators. Any suggestions besides Angela Davis and Bill Ayers?
I settled on Wood, Craven, Absher and Angela Davis. All but Davis won. Craven is our first black in a long time, maybe ever.

Henderson County Sales and Use Tax:
For. I'm not a big fan of regressive sales taxes, but when they're the only option offered to fund government services . . .
Against 66.98%
For 33.02%
Yep, that's where I live.

[Mr.B]

"How is that different from say, prairie values?"

"Way over your head; if you have to ask, you wouldn't understand."

"You don't have an intelligent answer. Got it."

Like I said, "if you have to ask"...
Mountain values don't differ from "prairie values"; providing there's any "values" there to begin with.
As pointed out, the term "mountain values" was coined by politicians seeking to impress voters with their supposed "values".

Quoted from above:
".....someone with mountain values has, above all, a sense of decency and empathy that is forged in generations of enduring in a place that can be hard on men and women. When you and your forebears understand the hard work, sweat and blood it took to make a go of it in this frontier, I think it gives you a sense that everybody out there is enduring a struggle."

[Mr.B]

"Ross could have run a better campaign."

Most all of the lesser offices could have run a better campaign. With the exception of a few, the majority of ads were not political messages;
they were attacks on the opponent. The remaining contenders were "nice" up 'til the last day, then the barrage was let loose.

Why I despise politics.