April 2, 2024

I'm just noticing that today is primary day here in Wisconsin.

I genuinely wasn't sure and haven't heard much about it.

But I see in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Wisconsin spring election live updates today: Presidential primary, referendums, polling places, ballot, registration info and more."

Is Trump interfering? "Will Donald Trump's visit impact your ability to vote Tuesday? Likely not, the city says" (Green Bay Gazette).
Former President Donald Trump's arrival Tuesday in Green Bay may stir up political reactions on Election Day, but how will it impact the traffic?... [G]iven the fanfare, Trump's visit may slow down pedestrian and vehicle traffic, so plan your time to vote accordingly....

The "fanfare." How much "fanfare" do we get in Wisconsin?

"Fanfare" sounds like whatever it is that fans eat, but the original reference is to "A flourish, call, or short tune, sounded by trumpets, bugles, or hunting-horns" (OED). The figurative meaning can be understood by picturing Trump arriving something like this:

I think I've only used the word "fanfare" once in the 20-year history of this blog (not counting quoting others (you might be surprised how often people say "without fanfare" and "with little fanfare")). That was in a February 15, 2021 post called "Bipartisan Support Grows For 9/11-Style Commission To Probe Capitol Riot." Interesting to read that now. I said:

Trial first, investigation afterwards. Kind of risky, isn't it? Just to assert that now what we need is an investigation is to make the fanfare of the last week seem, retrospectively, sketchy. We were urged to believe that we saw everything, and we know what we saw and what it all meant. Are we just supposed to forget all that and imagine we're back at square one? How can this commission dare to find things that don't synch with the prosecution's case?...

The House Managers' trial memo said "The insurrectionists killed a Capitol Police officer by striking him in the head with a fire extinguisher" — an overeager assertion that isn't holding up. How much more damage to the Insurrection Myth can American tolerate? Is the point of this commission — the one elected officials are getting bipartisan about — to shore up the legitimacy of the already-concluded proceedings?...
What I wanted to know, what I thought was the crucial question in the impeachment, was whether there was a plan to breach the Capitol and whether Trump knew about it when he gave his speech. That's the “what was known” and “who knew it” that matters to me....

And then if there was a plan and if Trump knew about it, did he have reason to rely on Capitol security to prevent any fulfillment of whatever plan there was and to focus his intention on the free-speech-protected rally of his supporters? Were they overwhelmingly peaceful?...

Four years later, I still don't know the answer to my questions. Nevertheless, without fanfare, I will vote in today's primary. I'll get out my umbrella and walk over to the church that is my polling place and vote. For whom? I'll think up an answer by the time I get there.

45 comments:

Aggie said...

" "Will Donald Trump's visit impact your ability to vote Tuesday?..."

Ask yourself: Why is that even a question - to what purpose? Is it to remind the faithful that displays of panic are encouraged?

Dave Begley said...

Somehow Bobby was excluded out of the Dem primaries. I think that would be an interesting story as to how the Dems did that. But, of course, the Fake News will never run that story.

My take is that Bobby is continuing to run to get the ultimate revenge on the Dem party. The ultimate pimp. A giant "fuck you."

Bobby is a man's man. Good for him. Not voting for him, but I admire him greatly.

Achilles said...

Our current election system is purposely outdated, confusing, and difficult to interface with.

We could have a queryable database of registered voters with attached photo IDs and a 3rd party token authorization encryption system to hide personal data. It would be absolutely trivial. The fact that our election system is so vulnerable to fraud is proof that our entire political class needs to be boiled in oil.

Our organization recently received a grant to teach people about Voltaire Governance. We are able to set up governance portals for any organization that allow members of the organization to carry out governance actions.

Blockchain technology is not really about currency and money. The real power is Decentralized Consensus. It allows us to use Decentralized Consensus to apply finality to contracts. But you can also use Decentralized Consensus to elect Representatives, or vote on board motions. The votes are recorded on the blockchain ledger which is permanent and so far unhackable. We can create voting periods. For some forms of representation we have open voting where you can change your vote at any time in perpetuity and there is a running vote tally.

If we are lucky this will be the future of governance.

Achilles said...

I said:Trial first, investigation afterwards. Kind of risky, isn't it? Just to assert that now what we need is an investigation is to make the fanfare of the last week seem, retrospectively, sketchy.

It was obvious to any thinking individual at that point that J6 was a setup used by the government to cover up the fact they stole an election.

Any even cursory investigation by congress into the 2020 election would have turned up the fact that evidence was destroyed and there were thousands of sworn affidavits from witnesses all over the country.

There were about 200 government agents in the crowd just going by what the government has so far admitted.

80 million people did not vote for Joe Biden. This is just obviously fact. And all of the lies this regime has pedaled over the last decade are just too obvious to cover up.

Balfegor said...

I didn't realise the British used the Roast Beef song as a royal fanfare. That's fantastic!

Mary Beth said...

Fanfare for the common man.

GingerBeer said...

I'm skeptical that our hostess who regularly reports about television shows she's watched, has yet to see a political commercial related to the WI primary. I'm skeptical that although she reads a WI newspaper, she has yet to see an article or editorial related to the primary. I'm skeptical that even taking a daily walk she hasn't once passed by a lawn sign for a single primary candidate. Pull the other one, Ann.

Would You Like Fascism With That Hat said...

If Trump was a serious candidate he would discuss his platform, his policies, or plan for America. None of those things require mentioning a judge's daughter or a witness in a trial he caused.

Original Mike said...

The important thing on the ballot today is the amendment to the constitution to outlaw Zuckerbucks.

Original Mike said...

"I'm skeptical that our hostess who regularly reports about television shows she's watched, has yet to see a political commercial related to the WI primary. "

I haven't seen one.

" I'm skeptical that even taking a daily walk she hasn't once passed by a lawn sign for a single primary candidate."

I haven't seen one of those, either.

The only way I know there's an election is I had a vague feeling there should be, so I went online to look it up.

Original Mike said...

"If Trump was a serious candidate he would discuss his platform, his policies, or plan for America."

We know his plan. And we know Biden's.

Biden's plan is to devastate the economy with his climate mandates and to allow millions of people into the country with no checks or verifications (to name just two of his policies). Trump opposes this.

It's not complicated, Rich.

The Drill SGT said...

"Ruffles and Flourishes"

wildswan said...

The primary today includes an attempt to outlaw Zuckerberg's kind of interference in Wisconsin elections. I did not know this. But this is why no one knows there's an election/referendum going on. Zuckerberg is meddling again, this time in a referendum outlawing his kind of meddling. In the 2020 election, groups Zuckerberg financed were put in charge of elections in our major cities, illegally replacing Wisconsin state election clerks. This happened, it's an agreed upon fact and it's agreed that it was illegal. And so what. It took years to get that agreement. The 2020 election was certified before the illegal procedures, such as replacing Wisconsin state election clerks with ZuckSucks who oversaw the verifying and the counting, were exposed and long before the procedures were declared illegal by the state Supreme Court. And now Zuck intends to meddle again in Wisconsin. That's clear.

Joe Smith said...

On the ballot in WI: a communist, a Marxist, a socialist, an anarchist, a trans communist, a trans Marxist, a trans socialist...

Oh, and a guy named Bob who thinks teachers shouldn't groom kids. Fucking right-wing Hitler!!!

Joe Smith said...

WI should have their own fanfare.

Primary days should be colorful..

Narayanan said...

fanfare

very fitting that it is elephant = R's they ?were? in power-position (similar to JKRowling) to challenge 2020 election and farted in your faces

ColoComment said...

Along with Mary Beth at 9:04, this is what I think of when I hear/read the word "fanfare"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KxMc_tyQBo

Narayanan said...

thanks very much Achilles @ 4/2/24, 9:00 AM

Achilles said...

Rich said...

If Trump was a serious candidate he would discuss his platform, his policies, or plan for America. None of those things require mentioning a judge's daughter or a witness in a trial he caused.

Rich is just a fascist POS.

Not particularly smart about it either.

Big Mike said...

@Althouse, I understand that there are ballot initiatives regarding campaign finance reform and election integrity to be voted on today. You might wish to go to your polling place if these are important things for you.

Curious George said...

"GingerBeer said...I'm skeptical that our hostess who regularly reports about television shows she's watched, has yet to see a political commercial related to the WI primary. I'm skeptical that although she reads a WI newspaper, she has yet to see an article or editorial related to the primary. I'm skeptical that even taking a daily walk she hasn't once passed by a lawn sign for a single primary candidate. Pull the other one, Ann."

You don't seem very bright so let me say I think the key word is TODAY. I'm quite sure that Althouse knows WI has a primary. Seeing a sign wouldn't necessarily tell you that the primary is TODAY. The only reason that I know voting is today is that Milwaukee Public Schools is asking for $252 million in a referendum.

Kevin said...

"Will Donald Trump's visit impact your ability to vote Tuesday?..."

The meta question is "Will Donald Trump ruin your day today?"

Then the "news" media searches for ways to fulfill the prophecy.

Kevin said...

The political parties have ruined primary voting.

And they're very proud of their accomplishment.

Mary Beth said...

@ColoComment

I think of ELP, but also that the media thinks of Trump and his supporters as common. Not "general public" common, but low and coarse common.

Would You Like Fascism With That Hat said...

Florida puts abortion on the ballot.

Rocco said...

Emerson, Lake, & Palmer’s version of Fanfare for the Common Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2zurZig4L8

I only listen to the first 3 minutes, which was released as a single back in the day.

GingerBeer said...

"Curious..." The professor wrote, "I genuinely wasn't sure and haven't heard much about it." I remain skeptical of her post. Less so of your doltishness.

mccullough said...

I prefer hullabaloo to fanfare.

Clyde said...

Here in Florida, there was a presidential preference primary election in March, and there will be another primary election on August 20th for other offices and propositions, I guess. Both Trump and Biden had already clinched their party's nomination, so the presidential one was just a formality as there was nothing else on the ballot. I voted in it anyway on general principles. I showed up for early voting the previous Friday, and there were at least a dozen election workers and about three people voting around 4 p.m.

Original Mike said...

"Somehow Bobby was excluded out of the Dem primaries."

Yep, he wasn't there. Nothing says democracy like banning your opponent from the ballot. I guess that's the subset of Democracy known as Our Democracy.

I voted for Vivek.

Rabel said...

GingerBeer, you make assertions that are not supported by the post.

Rabel said...

"Of the unknowns, we are somewhat unsure about the cumulative effect of this historic effort to warp the electoral system to destroy a candidate, and in at least two regards.

One, as the Left ramps up its hatred and frenzy over the next seven months before the election (and they surely will), what will be effect on Independents, swing voters, and the undecided? Will they grow incensed at the damage the Left is doing to the country and react by supporting Trump all the more?

Or, alternatively, will they finally curl up, fetal-like, with hands over ears, and simply whimper and wish for someone to make all this conundrum go away—and along with it the disrupter Trump, who, however much the victim, still somehow is responsible for the insane reaction he elicits from the left?"

- Victor Davis Hanson

There's a lot of curling and whimpering going on in the comments.

Original Mike said...

"I remain skeptical of her post."

Are you a Madison resident?

There have been NO TV ads and there are NO yard signs. IDK about newspaper articles. I don't get a local paper.

Iman said...

If Rich was serious about Life he’d get one.

mikee said...

"Fanfare" is appropriate as the 2024 elections are going to be essentially a fanfic of what a real election used to be.

Roadkill711 said...

Mary Beth and ColoComment:

Back when I was in the Navy, "Fanfare for the Common Man" was my (first) ship's 'Break-away song,' played as we finished up underway refueling and accelerated away from the replenishment ship. It was very popular with the whole crew.

Also, general comment: I voted in Wisconsin today, and FWIW, Trump's visit had zero impact on my ability to do so.

tommyesq said...

"I remain skeptical of her post."

In uncontested states like Massachusetts, there is very little in the way of political advertising, and I almost missed voting in the primary. During the general, all of the political ads tend to be pitched to NH voters who live in broadcast range of the local Mass. stations.

rehajm said...

Primary day? You'll fuck it up...

walter said...

Balfegor said...
I didn't realise the British used the Roast Beef song as a royal fanfare. That's fantastic!
---
And delicious!

Mikey NTH said...

The "Masterpiece Theater" opening was a fanfare*, French composer whosr name escapes me.

*I haven't seem it in years so don't know if the same music is used.

Marcus Bressler said...

That's Rich:

Another liberal telling conservatives how they should campaign. Guess what, we don't take advice from you people. We barely pay attention except to point out your idiocy.

Marcus Bressler said...

That's Rich:

Another liberal telling conservatives how they should campaign. Guess what, we don't take advice from you people. We barely pay attention except to point out your idiocy.

Temujin said...

Unlike Trump or Biden, The "Fanfare for the Common Man", by Aaron Copland gives me chills every time I hear, or see it performed. Every time.
Fanfare for the Common Man.

Narr said...

The old Masterpiece theme was Mouret's Rondeau.

That and Clarke's Prince of Denmark's March are go-tos for posh productions.

ReasonableCitizen said...

Why is there no concern about primary interference? Surely, the left or the right gains an advantage to manipulate the results of primary elections? And yet, there is silence and no one challenges the voting machines, the voting process, or the tabulation? What gives?