Heffley scores a zero

The Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania have issued a scorecard on Pennsylvania legislators.  The scorecard details votes on such measures as subsidies for oil and gas companies and roll backs of environmental regulations.  My Representative, Doyle Heffley, voted against the environment on every single issue.

Now you are saying, wait, is that the same Doyle Heffley who is running on both the Republican and Democratic tickets for the House this November?  Surely that can’t be the same Doyle Heffley who is so concerned about Beltzville State Park.  Or the Doyle Heffley who talks about how much he cares about nature.  Yup.  It’s that guy.

Sen. Yudichak, my state senator, scored a 37%.  Not much better.

To see the scores, and I warn you, you will be depressed, go to <scorecard.conservationpa.org>.

Currant jelly

Last night I made current jelly.  I have currants growing behind our house, but this year they were like BBs, and I had to buy two quarts from Tom Merkel, the best and most knowledgeable farmer in Carbon County, Pennsylvania.  Tom’s currents were the size of peas.  For nine jelly jars, you need 20 cups of currents.

If you are knowledgeable about currents, you know their season has passed.  What I do is freeze them until I have the time to make the jelly.  

Tonight I made sour cherry jam.  (The difference is that to make jelly, you strain the juice through a cheesecloth; to make jam you use the whole fruit).  I love making jellies and jams.  I use the same recipes my mom used, and I use the same jar puller and hot water boiler.  I like to hear that pop when the jars seal.  Tomorrow, unless it is raining too hard, I will pick blackberries for blackberry jam.

Oh yeah, when we were putting up a Biden sign on 443, a guy driving a pickup truck stopped and said, “Is that a joke?”  I walked over to the truck and said, “We have to keep doing this because they steal our signs.”  He said, “They should steal your signs.  Are you a Black Lives Matter or a terrorist?”  I said, “I’m a communist,” and away we went, with yelling, finger pointing, and insults.  Linda ran over and dragged me away.  I need to get a grip.  I did not handle that well.

The most important election in American history

It was in 1800.  Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, was running against Federalist John Adams.  Both had been active participants in the American Revolution, but Adams regarded Jefferson as a pro-French radical.  Congress had even passed the Alien and Sedition Acts to punish publications considered dangerous to public order.  Nonetheless, when Jefferson won, Adams handed over power.  It was the first time in American history that an opposition party took power peacefully, and it set a precedent for 216 years.  

Until now.  

Trump doesn’t understand democratic transition.  His talk about postponing elections, rigged elections, and fraud are all harbingers of despotism.  He has already put a crony in charge of the Post Office who is cutting overtime, delaying the mail, and attempting to hinder mail-in ballots from reaching county offices before the deadline for counting ballots.  Pennsylvania is a state that only counts ballots that arrive by the deadline, not by when they are postmarked.

I don’t think any of this will work, but it is scary.  I hope the center holds.  I hope that government agencies will follow the Constitution, not Trump, although what is happening with unidentified federal enforcement officers acting on Trump’s behalf in American cities makes me question that.  

I was angry and disappointed when Bush beat Gore on what I regarded as an unfair action by the Supreme Court, but I didn’t fear for the future of the Republic.  Now I do.  If Trump is somehow re-elected, I sincerely believe the American democratic experiment is over.

Growing optimism

Every evening I call people from old lists of volunteers.  Some of the lists go back as far as the second Obama campaign in 2012.  I tell people I am the “sign guy” with the Biden campaign and ask them if they want a yard sign for Biden.  They almost always say yes.  At this rate in a few days we will have to order more.  Every day Linda and I drive around Carbon County and stick them into the yards.

The Trump signs are bigger, often with flags, but we are winning the sign wars.  This is in big contrast to 2016, when many people were reluctant to put up Hillary Clinton signs.  The other problem in 2016 was that we had to manufacture most of our own signs for the Clinton campaign.  

I’m starting to feel growing optimism.  

The funeral of John Lewis

It was so refreshing to see three former presidents together, two Democrats and one Republican, obviously respecting each other, not tweeting insults, there for the common purpose of honoring John Lewis.

And here is Trump, still botching the virus response, still trying to incite racism, and even talking about a need to postpone the election.  In case you are wondering, no, he can’t do that.

What he can do he’s doing already.  Getting help from the Russians, whipping up racist hatred, sowing doubt in mail-in ballots, lying about Biden’s positions, screwing with the Post Office.

Trump is right about one thing, however.  Trump supporters should take hydroxychloroquine.  That will ward off the virus.  It should be taken in large doses, and it will have no side effects.  (Trump has said so.)  Injecting bleach is also effective, as is drinking bleach.  Trump supporters also can gather in large groups without masks.  No need for a mask.  Ask Herman Cain.

Leadership vs. whining and stupidity

“We are not condemned to accept the spread of this virus as an inevitable fact of life.  We thrive not because we are forced to do something, but because we have knowledge and encourage active participation.  Success depends on each and every one of us.”

  ––Angela Merkel

“And yet, they’re highly thought of–but nobody likes me.  It can only be my personality.”

  ––Donald Trump, discussing Dr. Fauci and Dr. Brix at his briefing on July 28 at which he again pushed hydroxychloroquine as a cure for Covid 19.

Signs don't vote

This is a mantra of professional campaign consultants when people ask for yard signs.  They argue that it is silly to spend money on signs; campaigns need to focus on direct mail, television ads, and on-line messaging.

Those consultants are wrong.  I am on a mission to get as many Biden yard signs up in Carbon County as possible.  I know from the 2016 Clinton campaign how discouraging it was to see Trump sign after Trump sign with no Clinton signs.  

Today, when we were on Gilberts Hill Drive we saw a Biden sign, and it was a psychological uplift.  What we were doing on Gilberts Hill Drive was delivering signs to a resident in East Penn Township.  We delivered yard signs to two residents in Polk Township in Monroe County, and to East Penn Township, Mahoning Township, Summit Hill (2), Lehighton (2) and Franklin Township.  This was after we replaced the large “This is Biden Country” sign across from MacDonalds that had been stolen.  

I’ve been calling Carbon County residents pushing the signs.  Tonight I got five more orders.  We are going to beat the Trumpists like a rented mule.