34 Days: Wake me up, before you go-go

September 30, 2020

Sep 30, 2020

Good Wednesday Morning.

It’s the last day of September, which means we’ve got just one more day until we’ll be safe from Green Day’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends” for another year. Hang tight, everyone.

Last night, Presidential debate season kicked off. With so much focus on the important swing state of Pennsylvania, I went out to the Keystone State for some on-the-ground research.

While I was driving around Frackville, a small town in the anthracite coal region of Schuylkill County, I came across a duplex home that captures our country’s moment so well. The house on the right was flying a Trump flag. The house on the left had multiple Biden yard signs. Because it’s a duplex, these two homes share a wall and a front porch, and… I just left with so many questions.

Speaking of questions, we’ve got quite a few today. Click on the Let’s Talk button to get started.

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34 days until Election Day.

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Results from September 25, 2020

Question 1: Of the two major political parties, which do you typically trust to tell the truth and do the right thing?

Trump / Pence

Biden / Harris

Nearly all undecided and third party voters say they don’t trust either party. (Just one third party voter trusts the Republicans.)

This question got a lot of you talking:

So the “who do you trust” question kind of got me. I think it’s pretty clear that Republicans have no interest in upholding anything they’ve said and constantly compromise supposed ideology for the sake of power. I think, generally, many Dems are institutionalists, which means I trust them to uphold a basic level of principle. However, there are many institutions that are pretty broken right now, and many Dems who refuse to admit that (see: Joe Biden-I’m still voting for him).
Our system basically relies on a lot of good will that few if any elected officials will actively attempt to break it at the same time. We’re seeing a whole majority party (representing the minority of the population) attempting to break it. It’s...not great.

I struggled with The who’s more trustworthy question cuz I tend to trust only some Republicans and maybe 1 or 2 Democrats. As a collective, I don’t think either party is trustworthy and it’s better to listen to individuals than groups. I trust Rand Paul, Tulsi Gabbard, Justin Amash, Thomas Massie, Mike Lee and maybe a couple others.

All politicians get into it because they crave power. Can’t trust them.

It's difficult these days to lump all Democrats or Republicans into one group. I know I can count on certain farther left Democrats to tell the truth, but more centrist ones not so much (or rather, maybe they will tell the truth but act like nothing can be done). Bernie, AOC, Warren, and more local progressives are not afraid of leaving the box of the 'Democratic Party'.

If you still place your unwavering trust in the Republican Party, lemme get some of what you’re smoking. Democrats are A BIT better, but they still avoid uncomfortable truths and resort to finger-pointing when it’s politically convenient to do so. However, I disagree with the notion that we can’t trust ANY politicians or members of the media. Writing everyone off simply because YOU don’t know what to believe is representative of a lack of critical thinking ability on YOUR part. Seek out objective news sources (hint: there are lots of those NOT in this country), use multiple sources, and ABS: Always Be Skeptical.

Question 2 is a bit of a beast. I am a registered Republican but discount virtually all that Trump says because he is rarely grounded in fact or science. Cognizance, conversance, and caring - what I call the “three C’s” - elude him. His supporters, from my perspective, latch on to any small kernel of truth and run with it, pushing aside the inaccuracies and hype. But the Democrats, Biden included, are not the be-all that ends-all, either. Their collective lack of guts is disturbing, and gives me pause on how our country will fare, whether they prevail on Nov . 3 or not, during the inescapably tough times ahead.

There is certainly bias in media, but an easy way to manage this to read both left bias and right bias news. The Ad Fontes Media Bias chart gives a quick reference to understand where a particular org is, and there are indeed mostly neutral sources. You can also go straight to the source to watch the President and follow him on Twitter. Given the frequency he espouses non-truths and the propensity for any party to fall in line behind its leader, at this point, statements from Republicans are far less trustworthy. This isn't always the case, but given the instability of the current leader, it's the case right now. It's concerning to me how our trust in the media has been undermined. A free press is critical to democracy.

Question 3: Should mortgage interest payments be tax deductible?

Trump / Pence

Biden / Harris

Undecided

Third Party

I'm not entirely sure how it makes sense that you'd get a tax deduction for paying the interest on a loan that you agreed to take out and pay. You knew the terms, you knew what you'd be paying month to month. If you need a tax deduction on top of that, you shouldn't have taken out the mortgage in the first place. Am I out of line here?

Question 4: Which Barney is the best TV Barney?