Pennsylvania Ballot Fillers Elected a Dead Guy


Posted originally on the conservative tree house November 9, 2022 | Sundance 

The people who distributed, assembled, collected and then submitted all the Democrat ballots in Pennsylvania filled in the bubble for a dead guy. Democrat Anthony “Tony” DeLuca died October 9th but was reelected to his state House seat on November 8th. Go figure.

PENNSYLVANIA – A Pennsylvania state representative who died last month was reelected during the midterm elections, reports say.

Democrat Anthony “Tony” DeLuca died Oct. 9 “after a brief battle with lymphoma, a disease he twice previously beat. He was 85,” the Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus wrote.  DeLuca was Pennsylvania’s longest-serving state rep, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“While we’re incredibly saddened by the loss of Representative Tony DeLuca, we are proud to see the voters to continue to show their confidence in him and his commitment to Democratic values by re-electing him posthumously. A special election will follow soon,” Pennsylvania House Democrats said in a tweet.  (more)

Big Picture, 2022 Midterm Elections Highlight the Distinct Difference Between Ballots and Votes


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on November 9, 2022 | Sundance 

As the political discussion centers on the 2022 wins and losses from the midterm election, one thing that stands out in similarity to the 2020 general election is the difference between ballots and votes.  It appears in some states this is the ‘new normal.’

Where votes were the focus, the Biden administration suffered losses.  Where ballots were the focus, the Biden administration won.

Perhaps the two states most reflective of ‘ballots’ being more important than ‘votes’ are Michigan and Pennsylvania.  Despite negative polling and public opinion toward two specific candidates in those states, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman achieved victories.

Whitmer and Fetterman were not campaigning for votes, that is old school. Instead, the machinery behind both candidates focused on the modern path. The Democrat machines in both states focused on ballot collection and ignored the irrelevant votes as cast.

Since the advent of ballot centric focus through mail-in and collection drop-off processes, votes have become increasingly less valuable amid the organizers who wish to control election outcomes.  As a direct and specific result, ballot collection has become the key to Democrat party success.

The effort to attain votes for candidates is less important than the strategy of collecting ballots.

It should be emphasized; these are two distinctly different election systems.

The system of ballot distribution and collection is far more susceptible to control than the traditional system of votes cast at precincts.

A vote cannot be cast by a person who is no longer alive, or no longer lives in the area.  However, a ballot can be sent, completed and returned regardless of the status of the initially attributed and/or registered individual.

While ballots and votes originate in two totally different processes, the end result of both “ballots” and “votes,” weighing on the presented election outcome, is identical.

While initially the ballot form of election control was tested in Deep Blue states, through the process of mail-in returns under the guise and justification of “expanding democracy,” a useful tool for those who are vested in the distinction, I think we are now starting to see what happens on a national level when the process is expanded.

The controversial 2020 election showed the result of making ‘ballots’ the strategy for electoral success.  Under the justification of COVID-19 mitigation, mail-in ballots took center stage.  Ballot harvesting by Democrat operations was one term for the outcome.

Democrat party officials and political activist groups knew how to exploit the opportunities within the new system of ballot distribution and collection, and when you combine that with a massive legal pressure campaign to accept any and all forms of ballots, well, you can see how they are dependent.

Now that ballot collection has been shown to be a much more effective way to maintain political power, Democrats in a general sense are less focused on winning votes and more focused on gathering ballots.

When ‘ballot organization’ becomes more important than ‘vote winning,’ you modify your electoral campaign approaches accordingly.  It might sound simplistic, but inside the distinct difference between ballots and votes you will find why refusing debates is a successful strategy.

If you are trying to win votes you could never fathom campaign success by refusing to debate an opponent.  However, if your focus is centered around ballot collection, the debate is essentially irrelevant.

It’s time for voters to start seeing the difference between elections decided by ballots and elections decided by votes.  Perhaps the 2022 midterm election will awaken people to the two completely different election systems.

You can vote at any scale you want, but when ballots are more important than votes – the election will always favor the former.

Michigan and Pennsylvania voters are likely very unhappy today, while Michigan and Pennsylvania ballot providers are smiling.

If Democrats had to win individual ‘votes’ to gain election success, they would be at a disadvantage.  As long as Democrats only need to gather ‘ballots’, they have a path to winning elections.  The processes of electioneering are all modified accordingly.

Campaigning, advertising, promoting, debating, hand-shaking, crowd attendance and venues for rallies, along with physically meeting people and convincing them of your worth, are only important if you are trying to win votes.

Fortunately for Democrats, modern electioneering does not require these arcane efforts. So, in the larger picture of what you see in elections, they have stopped wasting time and doing them.  Haven’t you noticed? It really is that simple.

2022 WEC: In the Dollar We Trust


Armstrong Economics Blog/World Economic Conference Re-Posted Nov 8, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

At the World Economic Conference in 2021, the Armstrong Socrates model predicted that 2022 was going to be volatile and chaotic featuring a strong US dollar, a huge move in interest rates, a major bond market decline, fertilizer and food shortages, as well as escalating geopolitical tensions in Ukraine.

What now? Socrates forecast that 2023 will be more volatile and chaotic, featuring violent moves across all markets as monetary and geopolitical tensions and debt problems intensify.

At this year’s World Economic Conference, November 11-13, Martin Armstrong will talk about what’s next for the US dollar and other currencies, the liquidity/credit crisis, as well as price targets for oil, gold, stocks, bonds/interest rates, and stocks.

Give yourself an “unfair” advantage over the markets by joining us at this year’s conference remotely or in person. Meet Martin Armstrong – have your questions answered and get the best roadmap for 2023 and beyond in the investment business.

Biden’s IRS Army in Jeopardy


Armstrong Economics Blog/The Hunt for Taxes Re-Posted Nov 8, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Biden’s IRS army of 87,000 new armed recruits is coming under fire by the Republican party. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Jon Thune (R-SD) are working on a bill that would require Congress to approve IRS spending. Both men also sit on the House-Senate Joint Committee on Taxation. Biden would like to spend $80 billion on his IRS army over the next decade to shake down American taxpayers.

Our bill will ensure that the IRS is answerable to the American people in how it uses this money and will force it to forfeit funds every day it’s not in compliance,” Grassley said. “If our bill becomes law, the Biden administration’s IRS would have to answer to the American people, not Washington bureaucrats,” Thune added. The American people fund the IRS, and it is only right that they vote on how their money is spent. In fact, they should vote on whether there is a need for the IRS at all.

If the bill passes, the IRS must explain how they use their money every year. Funding to the IRS would be withheld if they failed to comply. If Congress turns red this November, this measure is likely to pass. This would be a great first step in a long overdue overhaul of the entire US tax system, which is designed to be as complex as possible so that the government can squeeze funds out of every citizen.

Election Week Ground Reports – What’s Going on in Your Town, Neighborhood and Precinct?


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on November 7, 2022 | Sundance 

Through the years one of the things CTH has always emphasized is the accuracy of your election ‘sense’ ground reports when contrast against the national media narrative.

So, this thread is for you to share what the sense is around your community.  How motivated are the people in your neighborhood? What is the sense of this election cycle? If you have voted already, how was the turnout for early voting in/around your area?

Use this thread to share your own sense of how things look from your perspective.  If comfortable include the general region you are describing so that others can get a feel for your impression of the midterm election this year.

CTH will host several election day update and ground reports tomorrow as election day voting gets underway.  However, in the interim, what do you see and hear in the conversations around your town, hamlet, community or precinct?

Historically the sense of the election you share has been remarkably consistent with the outcome.  Are the people in your circle enthusiastic about removing Democrats from their seats?

Elon Musk Recommends Voters Choose a Republican Congress Tomorrow


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on November 7, 2022 | sundance

At 10:22am today, billionaire businessman and new Owner/CEO of Twitter, Elon Musk, has recommended that voters choose republican candidates for congress this midterm election cycle.  [Source]

Democrats and left-wing political activist groups are going bananas.

Tom Cotton Decides Against 2024 Presidential Campaign


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on November 7, 2022 | sundance 

Interestingly, after visiting Washington State, Arizona and Nevada to campaign in support of 2022 republican senate candidates, Senator Tom Cotton – a previous Sea Island conference attendee – has announced a decision not to run for higher office in 2024.

Is it possible Senator Cotton’s visits gave him more exposure him to the MAGA base and provided additional insight into what & who voters support?

Arkansas –  U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, who has been considering a run for president in 2024, will not seek higher office in the next election cycle, according to reports on Sunday.

A source close to the senator confirmed to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Sunday that the Dardanelle Republican will not run for president in 2024. Politico first broke the story.

A leading factor behind Cotton’s decision was his two sons, who are 5 and 7. Both were born after Cotton joined the Senate in January 2015. Cotton served in the House of Representatives for one term before defeating U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., in the 2014 election.

Cotton will not be up for reelection to the Senate until November 2026.  (read more)

Oprah’s Old Posse Weighing in on PA Senate Race


Armstrong Economics Blog/USA Current Events Re-Posted Nov 7, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The corrupt celebrity Oprah Winfrey (a separate blog post for another day) and her old posse are weighing in on the Pennsylvania Senate race. John Fetterman v Mehmet Oz is quite an odd pairing. Dr. Oz rose to fame through his appearances on Oprah’s daytime show. Yet, Oprah publicly will not support the Republican candidate.

Oprah went as far as arranging an online Zoom event to mobilize PA voters. “There are clear choices out there … to represent the values — this is what we’re talking about — the values we hold dear,” she said on the Zoom presentation. “The values of inclusion, the values of compassion … that so many of us share, so use your discernment,” Oprah word vomited. These are the age-old keywords with no clear definition, such as “values,” “inclusion,” and “compassion.” Why would she promote Dr. Oz on her show as the top medical advisor for years if she felt he was lacking in these values?

Knowing Oprah is a die-hard Democrat, Oz was not surprised. “Doctor Oz loves Oprah and respects the fact that they have different politics. He believes we need more balance and less extremism in Washington,” a member of his campaign said.

Yet, another “doctor” who Oprah rose to fame believes John Fetterman is not mentally competent to hold office. Dr. Phil McGraw, albeit no longer a doctor, appeared on “The Joe Rogan Experience” to discuss his concerns with the candidate. “Just ask yourself,” Dr. Phil added, “Let’s say you were getting on an airplane and the airline pilot had had a similar cognitive impairment. Would you get on? Well, hell no.” After seeing Fetterman struggle to form a coherent sentence during his debate, I would NEVER board an airplane with Fetterman onboard, even if he was a flight attendant.

Dr. Phil said that he did not want to appear “unkind” and said Fetterman had “courage,” but this man clearly is mentally compromised. Joe Rogan called this an example of the media and politicians gaslighting the public. Both men said it was unfair to put Fetterman in this position. There is a long list of violent offenders and murderers in prison waiting for a Fetterman win to be released back into the population. If he were running on a Republican ticket, the media would have turned on him during his first interview, and he would not be viewed as the next savior of Pennsylvania.