(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)
The big day is finally here.
We know this campaign season has been very stressful for people on all sides of the political spectrum.
We also know most of you will be transfixed to election news and results so we aren’t planning any news stories today. All we can offer is this photo of a proud American on a bike — two things that have been, and always will be, great.
If you want to meet up with other bicycle lovers for an election night party, head over to Velo Cult (1969 NE 42nd) where they’ll have cable TV on the projector and 12 kegs of beer and cider on tap (as well as tea, coffee, and other treats). And note that the regularly scheduled City of Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting has been cancelled.
Good luck with the issues and candidates you care about. You can still drop off your ballot and it’s a gorgeous day to do it by bike. Here’s a map to ballot drop-off locations.
If you have thoughts on how you’re feeling about the election or want to share how you’re coping with all the excitement – feel free to share in the comments below.
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org
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Note: this thread is for discussion of national and local politics. It’s acceptable to advocate for or against a candidate or position, but it’s still not acceptable to be mean or to attack others. It’s a fine line and a hassle to moderate, apologies in advance as we try to leave these comments open but still humane.
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landslide.
I propose a bike parade down Clinton Street when she wins. 🙂
What will you do if He wins?
Train ticket to Canada.
We’re building a wall and will make Amerikuh pay for it. Ha!
No seriously, whenever the US does something like that (Vietnam War, Bush prez, etc.) Canada ends up receiving some of the US’s best people who usually contribute in positive ways.
But Canada won’t let many of us old folks with undervalued skills become citizens. Checked it out during a previous terrifying election season.
Yeah, I think that’s the idea.
Enjoy vacation! The Canadian Government will not allow you to stay. This was not a great day, btw. I am embarrassed, but not surprised at all.
So, did you buy that ticket yet?
I do hope you’re right, 9watts. Fervently. I like Adam’s idea(s), too. 🙂
stevie nicks for president
Not quite a landslide, but it was decisive. In times like these, got to try find a little humor in situations. Down the road, it might be some consolation to remember what judge judy occasionally says: “you picked him!”.
Last night, I don’t know why, but I found myself recalling the line from the old movie ‘Peggy Sue Got Married’, when peggy sue says to her dad: “Oh dad…you bought an Edsel ! “.
Yes, it was:
http://pamelageller.com/2016/11/landslide-trump-305-electoral-votes-vs-233-clinton-electoral-votes.html/
P.S. can we get the subscribe to comments button back?
I miss it.
You can still subscribe via RSS. I use Newsblur as my reader. It’s more work than email, but if it keeps the bikeportland server load reasonable, I’m a fan.
It would be nice to understand what the server implications are, if that is the reason it has been falling off of late.
I vote for a peaceful transfer of power.
I’ve avoided the news since mid August, aside from bikeportland, to shield myself from this topic. Thanks, I guess this marks the end of this ugly season. As a disabled vet I’m just ashamed of this election cycle.
Thank you for your service to our country.
The United States of America should be renamed to the States of America since there hasn’t been unity in a while.
Also, why does it take 600 days to have an election here? Canada does it in a max of 11 weeks, Japan does it in 12 days, etc…
You can make the election cycle as short as you want. Just wait until that wonderful little booklet shows up, fill out the ballot, mail it. Took me under an hour.
I do make my election cycle short. I just watch the 3 debates and then read the voter book. But it’s everywhere in the media for 600 days….TV, magazines, radio, etc… It’s not me I’m worried about…it’s the millions of others that tune into all this waste on a daily basis. I simply want to know why people start campaigning 600 days before an election when most people only need a few days to decide.
And in all that media coverage, they devoted something like 45 minutes to the issues on the major networks and cable news sources, and zero minutes to climate change.
And like 2378946238745627856237845 minutes to f**king emails…
600 days? why do YOU take so long? c(:
my election cycle is 1 day: today… I’ll fill in my ballot and walk it to the library this evening…
The Disparate States of America?
I predict that if one particular candidate wins, there may well be a 51st state named Jefferson…
Trump for life!
…imprisonment?
oh, we’re probably not supposed to incite a political argument here… (:
Read it how you will… it’s the open election thread!
It’s such a strange election. Out of this entire nation, these are the two best candidates we can bring forward? I hope whoever gets elected, has the chops to do the job. Personally, I think one of the two, does, knowledge-wise, but seems in past to have been seriously slow on the uptake concerning various issues and incidents. The other just seems to me to be, while oddly entertaining, a dangerously bad joke if they were sitting in the big chair in the oval office.
These are definitely not the best candidates we can bring forward. The single-mark ballot is a problem with primaries and the general election. Everything is distorted by a system of voting for the lesser of two evils, sponsored, bought, and paid for by evil on all sides. If you could vote for your ideal candidate and second, third choice we wouldn’t have the “spoiler” effect.
Alan Zundel for Secretary of State might be a start to fixing our ballots. And/or a ballot measure.
I’m just waiting for the groaner headline that will state EITHER “CLINTON TRUMPS TRUMP” OR “TRUMP TRUMPS CLINTON”.
I’m waiting for Hillary to say “Donald, you’re fired!” tonight. It’ll be fantastic. Tremendous. The bigly-est!
And I can’t wait to say “President Clinton” once again. #90snostalgia
Hopefully for President Clinton version 2.0 they’ve worked out all the bugs from Clinton v1.0. 😉
I approve this message.
It’s not lookin’ too good 🙁
No, it turned out just fine. The best man won.
If you only wanted to vote for a man.
I’m not a bigot so man or woman is the exact same thing. If I judge someone I do it based on the content of their character, qualifications for the job, etc, not on what is hanging (or not) between their legs.
I feel like you could use some practice with your word choice. Maybe slow down a bit and think before you post your comments, since you can’t edit them later.
Your candidate has no demonstrated character to speak of, or qualifications for the job of President, so I can only assume you voted for his ‘etc’.
Mr. Trump has a long record of establishing successful businesses and running them; and a long record of successfully executing major building projects in NYC – that is not a simple task. Yes, he has had some business failures but when you take risks sometimes that happens. Here is one example of his success on the refurbishment of the Wollman Ice Skating Rink in NYC. After the city had worked on the project for 6 years spending millions, they announced they had to start over and it would take another 2years. Here is the story of how Trump successfully completed the job in 4 MONTHS and came in 25% under budget:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/offwhitepapers/2015/08/24/donald-trump-and-the-wollman-rinking-of-american-politics/#395193c926b2
I invite you to list the major accomplishments of Hillary Clinton. Please do not list her job titles. Job titles are not accomplishments.
“Hopefully for President Clinton version 2.0 they’ve worked out all the bugs from Clinton v1.0.”
No need.
is BikePortland allowed to endorse candidates?
I can’t find you in the Portland Business search to find out if you’re a non-profit…
I’d love it if you could endorse candidates…
Bernie
We are not a nonprofit Spiffy. We can endorse whoever we’d like. We just didn’t get into much political coverage this time around.
“Everyone is a superhero when they use our democratic republic.”
FTFY…
I’m glad we don’t live in a democracy, so let’s not continue the myth that we do…
Ignoring ballot measures, of course, which are (within appropriate tolerances) “democratic” in the literal meaning of the word.
“But there is no basis for saying that the United States is somehow ‘not a democracy, but a republic.’”
— https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/05/13/is-the-united-states-of-america-a-republic-or-a-democracy/
Ban metal-studded tires !
Was there a ballot initiative for this?
No, but Les Schwab helped defeat the last push for it.
Not this year.
Saw a pickup with them on yesterday. 68* in November and people are driving around with studded tires already…
As a (more than) daily smoker, I voted yes for the 3% cannabis tax for the city.
I wish the tax income was being handled differently, but hey, 3% for the city probably won’t hurt, and it will be less tax than now. I see it as a win-win.
“Everyone is a superhero when they use our democracy.”
~Jonathan Maus
vs
“Our leverage quite candidly goes up, as the voting populace goes down”
~Paul Weyrich
As of 10:21, it’s a perfectly gorgeous day, and I’m going to ride my bike somewhere, while wearing my “Someday A Woman Will Be President” t-shirt, just for the sheer pleasure and freedom of it.
(Meaning quiet back streets, all due caution, totally defensive riding, etc., but still…)
I returned my ballot within an hour of receiving it in the mail. There’s no more I can do, and nail-bitingly following my social media feed for election news is just bad for my nails. Might as well relax.
I was pleasantly surprised by the number of women on the ballot this year. I’m hoping that the news tonight won’t disappoint.
We need a pantsuit ride, Anne (and everyone)! I wish I had a pantsuit…
(I never thought I’d utter those words)
I’ve been kind of wishing I had one too. Lots of dressing-up-to-vote today.
I have several- you can borrow one! 🙂
My mom just turned 90. She’s lived to see her favorite team, the Red Sox, win 3 World Series. She’s seen a black man become President. She’s seen the Cubs win the World Series. Tonight she’ll see a woman become President.
Presumably she also saw the White Sox win the World Series. 😉
and possibly a woman set up AmeriCorps NCCC to be government “community service”
No, sorry, last night she saw the Supreme Court swing to the far right, undoing lots that women have fought years for.
We’ll be waiting a long time for another right-wing justice to die.
Only 12 kegs? Might need more than that. It’s gonna be a long, stressful night.
I need whiskey. Jameson, please. Neat.
It’s Election Day – bourbon!
After the Kim Davis fiasco, I look for bourbon that is not from Kentucky.
Burnside Bourbon is quite tasty.
If you like Bourbon made by a wholesale distillery in Indiana.
I know some local distillers do this, but I am pretty sure it’s actually distilled here. I asked them when I did the tour of Eastside last year.
They ‘make’ it, but if the label doesn’t say ‘distilled in Portland’, then it was distilled somewhere else. ‘Making’ or ‘producing’ whiskey can be ageing it, blending it, or just slapping a label on a case of bottles. The term has almost no meaning on a bottle of whiskey.
There was an interesting article on the practice in the Tribune:
http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/150618-distillers-spirited-debate%20
IMO, it’s kind of a sketchy way to market your product. Customers trying to buy a locally distilled product (if that’s what you want) should be able to tell that from the label.
Many of the small label bourbons are distilled in Canada. Read the label carefully.
I took a look at a bottle last night. The label says ‘produced’ and ‘bottled’ in Portland. If they start distilling it in Portland someday, you can be sure they’ll change the label.
New Deal Distillery has some whiskeys that are pretty good too.
I don’t think they make enough to deal with today, or the next week, or the next 4 years. Ugh
I just meant an American whiskey.
Yep, I’m with Kevin. Drink American. 🙂
Hmmm. You are true patriots. But bourbon gives me a tummy ache. But so does our country, right now. USA! Agh, the nerves…!
In all likelihood, I will be sticking to beer tonight. Local beer, of course. 🙂
Whatever happens, I’ll still love my family, get my hands dirty for my community, and work to spread the message. Because there’s still a long way to go.
Such a beautiful day outside. As usual, bike work commute was a great way to get my mind off the crazy.
This is going to require a lot more rides…..
“Mike Pence Rides Bicycle Before Heading to Polling Place.” This isn’t an endorsement… But I used to ride to vote too, but with the mail in ballots here in WA. State, now I rode to post my ballot by bike.
http://www.breitbart.com/live/2016-election-day-live-updates/mike-pence-rides-bicycle-polling-place/
Yes. Americans like to talk a lot about being “post-feminist” but this election made it plain to more than those painfully ‘in the know’ just how far we have to go. Virulent hatred and fear, formerly nicely veiled (or simply–of necessity–regarded with a blind eye by we ladies just trying to get along), brought out in the great wide ugly open. Scary. But a valuable exposure. Makes me more hopeful for the future.
Mr. Trump was very gracious to Hillary. He said we owe her a debt of gratitude for her service to the country.
.
He’s a good man; not a perfect man; but I don’t think he was caught cheating his opponents out of the nomination. I’ll bet that cost her the election.
.
Here’s a video of him being interviewed by Oprah in 1988 – he still holds the same beliefs. If you read his book “The Art of the Deal” you will see that he is a genius on deal-making and getting results in his projects.
Here’s the Oprah video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b8Q9e8i_pE
And when do we start building the wall?
once Mexico pays for it.
I’m hoping all the nasty personal viewpoints he expressed in general about women, hispanics, middle easterners…and who else?…were just the occasional lapse in judgment of a primarily good man that sometimes doesn’t do well when he goes off script and ignores what’s been prepared for him on the teleprompter, to say.
In his acceptance speech last night, up front of the speech, he did appeal to those gathered at the Hilton, to acknowledge and thank Hillary for her work for the nation as secretary of state.
Being a good deal maker can be a good thing. In the business world and on television, that skill can be stunning and entertaining. Can he also become a good statesman for whom a strong aptitude for making deals with politicians national and international, can enable him to get good things accomplished?
He is 70 years old. He just won by being the biggest a-hole possible.
Why would he change?
His crude comments about grabbing women were just locker-room talk that a huge majority of males occasionally make when they are in the company of other males – his problem is that there was a recording of it. It was just harmless talk.
He is concerned about internal security in the USA and commented that some people, not all, coming thru the southern border are bringing drugs, are criminals, rapists, etc. The reason he said it is because it is absolute irrefutable fact and it is a serious problem and he wants to solve it.
His comments that we should stop immigration from the ME until we can ensure they are safe is a reasonable position. No other position would make any sense. Non-citizens do not have a “right” to come here without being checked out. Try going to another country with no paperwork – write back describing prison life in that country.
His comments, although not PC today, were not lapses in judgment – he was telling the truth because he knew that people were tired of the do-nothing politicians not solving these serious issues – and that includes the R’s and the D’s as well. You can bet everything you own, with no risk, that if the people coming here were overwhelmingly voting R, that the wall would be complete and it would be very effective.
Here’s an example of a 600 mile long wall I learned about recently:
http://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-building-massive-fence-along-iraqi-border-to-keep-out-is-jihadists/news-story/ae40953496d51388951fc973777fef69
He will at least make an attempt to provide better security to the people of the USA; no other candidate in the race would do so. Trump is a man who likes solving problems – he views San Bernardino, Orlando, the Boston bombing, etc, etc, as problems he can help to prevent – he is experienced at problem solving and wants to help his country.
On whether he will do OK with foreign leaders, he cannot do worse than providing a pathway for Iran to obtain nukes. That’s a very low bar.
Still waiting for the second book, “Weaseling out of the Check.”
“Good” is certainly a relative term open to interpretation, but I think you should strike from your lexicon for the benefit of honesty.
This was the fault of all those in the Democratic Party Power Structure that sandbagged Bernie with their super-delegates and other dirty tricks. He would have beaten Trump easily, and today would have been a better day. May they burn in the lowest realms of Hades.
Actually, Hillary won the popular vote. As did Kerry. As did Gore. All three would have been president if America had more than a silly sham democracy.
Kerry did not win the popular vote.
Bush Kerry
Popular vote 62,040,610 59,028,444
Odd that Oregon keeps electing the same kind of people who keep making pathetic choices, failed schools, PERS, etc.
I guess that is why so many people want to move here, because it sucks so bad.
Nice try, you are more than welcome to leave…
This is what you get for letting condescending Hollywood elites telling you how to vote. Many did not bother coming to the polls. Blame Beyoncé.
Time to look at the up-side. (There must be an up-side because I have never been so low.) I’m down to my father’s “family philosophy of relative happiness”: Don’t fret when they hang you by your thumbs; at least they’re not hanging you by your testicles.
How sad that the angry tribe of white males has rallied to try to preserve privilege. They did the same thing in the 1950’s by refusing to implement Brown v The Board of Education, which resulted in Brown 2 and saw a certain Hillary Rodham go to the South in the ’60s after law school to continue pushing desegregation forward. It’s clearly going to take a little longer to move past misogyny and racism in this nation, but I’m still confident that we shall do this. It just would have been nice to do it with the consent of the majority of white males.
How sad that people block streets and the MAX light-rail line in downtown Portland last night. How sad that people vote for electric car discounts for 4,000 pound Teslas and fail to ban metal-studded tires.
Hey, I’m an angry white male, and I neither voted for Trump nor am I a misogynist or racist!
(I’m angry that my chain just dropped when I was forced to take the lane on a 40 MPH road because of a jackass that parked his huge truck in the bike lane with his flashers on so he could run in for a burger at Wendy’s).
Disgusted with the Supreme Court’s rails-to-trails case from 2014. Go Trump !
Somehow it feels like we’ve been sucked into a giant version of Parker Brothers’ hit family board game, Monopoly!(tm). I guess I’ve always been curious to see what life was like in the ’20s…
In related news, Lance Armstrong and Dr. Michele Ferrari have been appointed co-chiefs of the World Anti Doping Administration.
when did portland last have a progressive on the city council?
If you’re disapponted in the candidates that magically appear but you’ve never been to a local party precinct meeting, maybe you’ve been letting other people make choices for you.