IA-SEN 2022: Grassley vs Franken

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

Why would she think this race is winnable when Iowa voted for Trump by more than her a congressional district she could not win.

I mean, it's not like she has anything more exciting going on. I doubt she's truly under the illusion that she'll be favored, but it's common practice for parties to field candidates in much less winnable races than this one.

Ex-incumbents generally can’t afford a second consecutive loss and this race simply isn’t winnable. She’d at least have a chance running for non-federal office or her old seat, especially with redistricting having some potential to shake things up.

[MT Treasurer]

Through a very reliable source and friend of mine who’s involved in several IAGOP campaigns at the state and local level, I have obtained access to Chuck Grassley's internal polling. Please do NOT share this with anyone, this is confidential.

Senate:

Finkenauer (D) 52
Grassley (R, inc.) 36

Finkenauer (D) 54
Hinson (R) 33

Finkenauer (D) 53
Feenstra (R) 33

Finkenauer (D) 52
Reynolds (R) 38

Sand (D) 49
Grassley (R, inc.) 41

Axne (D) 48
Grassley (R, inc.) 42

Greenfield (D) 45
Grassley (R, inc.) 43


Governor:

D primary:

Mauhlbauer 48
Sand 40

GE:

Mauhlbauer (D) 50
Reynolds (R, inc.) 41

Sand (D) 49
Reynolds (R, inc.) 41


In the House races, Feenstra is ahead in IA-04 (it’s a lot closer than expected, though, and he is trailing in some counties), Mariannette Miller-Meeks is down by double digits in IA-2 (her favorability numbers are disastrous and have taken even more of a hit after Rita Hart's challenge in the House), Hinson is trailing a generic D by a high single-digit margin in IA-1 (this is the district where Finkenauer's presence at & Trump's absence from the top of the ticket are having the most detrimental effect on R prospects), and Axne is in no danger whatsoever in IA-3, leading by a wider margin than Feenstra (the extent to which D trends in the Des Moines metro have accelerated under Biden is impossible to overstate; that part of the state is essentially going the way of Metro Atlanta).

My friend also says that it’s an open secret in IAGOP circles that Feenstra is pretty overrated by national punditry/out-of-state observers and that he’s known to be a lackadaisical campaigner who’s in serious danger of blowing a winnable race for the party, which is why there’s been pressure on him to step down.

[TML]

Through a very reliable source and friend of mine who’s involved in several IAGOP campaigns at the state and local level, I have obtained access to Chuck Grassley's internal polling. Please do NOT share this with anyone, this is confidential.

[...]

If this really were confidential, wouldn't it be prohibited to have this posted on a publicly-accessible website like this one?

[S019]

Through a very reliable source and friend of mine who’s involved in several IAGOP campaigns at the state and local level, I have obtained access to Chuck Grassley's internal polling. Please do NOT share this with anyone, this is confidential.

[...]

If this really were confidential, wouldn't it be prohibited to have this posted on a publicly-accessible website like this one?

You're really bad at detecting jokes

[Tartarus Sauce]

Through a very reliable source and friend of mine who’s involved in several IAGOP campaigns at the state and local level, I have obtained access to Chuck Grassley's internal polling. Please do NOT share this with anyone, this is confidential.

[...]

If this really were confidential, wouldn't it be prohibited to have this posted on a publicly-accessible website like this one?

Whoosh

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Through a very reliable source and friend of mine who’s involved in several IAGOP campaigns at the state and local level, I have obtained access to Chuck Grassley's internal polling. Please do NOT share this with anyone, this is confidential.

Senate:

Finkenauer (D) 52
Grassley (R, inc.) 36

Finkenauer (D) 54
Hinson (R) 33

Finkenauer (D) 53
Feenstra (R) 33

Finkenauer (D) 52
Reynolds (R) 38

Sand (D) 49
Grassley (R, inc.) 41

Axne (D) 48
Grassley (R, inc.) 42

Greenfield (D) 45
Grassley (R, inc.) 43


Governor:

D primary:

Mauhlbauer 48
Sand 40

GE:

Mauhlbauer (D) 50
Reynolds (R, inc.) 41

Sand (D) 49
Reynolds (R, inc.) 41


In the House races, Feenstra is ahead in IA-04 (it’s a lot closer than expected, though, and he is trailing in some counties), Mariannette Miller-Meeks is down by double digits in IA-2 (her favorability numbers are disastrous and have taken even more of a hit after Rita Hart's challenge in the House), Hinson is trailing a generic D by a high single-digit margin in IA-1 (this is the district where Finkenauer's presence at & Trump's absence from the top of the ticket are having the most detrimental effect on R prospects), and Axne is in no danger whatsoever in IA-3, leading by a wider margin than Feenstra (the extent to which D trends in the Des Moines metro have accelerated under Biden is impossible to overstate; that part of the state is essentially going the way of Metro Atlanta).

My friend also says that it’s an open secret in IAGOP circles that Feenstra is pretty overrated by national punditry/out-of-state observers and that he’s known to be a lackadaisical campaigner who’s in serious danger of blowing a winnable race for the party, which is why there’s been pressure on him to step down.

I am so happy that MT Treasurer sees the light and Obstructing Commission is not in the best interest of the party

We can win IA, OH and NC the only state I am not sure about is FL

[Xing]

Through a very reliable source and friend of mine who’s involved in several IAGOP campaigns at the state and local level, I have obtained access to Chuck Grassley's internal polling. Please do NOT share this with anyone, this is confidential.

Senate:

Finkenauer (D) 52
Grassley (R, inc.) 36

Finkenauer (D) 54
Hinson (R) 33

Finkenauer (D) 53
Feenstra (R) 33

Finkenauer (D) 52
Reynolds (R) 38

Sand (D) 49
Grassley (R, inc.) 41

Axne (D) 48
Grassley (R, inc.) 42

Greenfield (D) 45
Grassley (R, inc.) 43


Governor:

D primary:

Mauhlbauer 48
Sand 40

GE:

Mauhlbauer (D) 50
Reynolds (R, inc.) 41

Sand (D) 49
Reynolds (R, inc.) 41


In the House races, Feenstra is ahead in IA-04 (it’s a lot closer than expected, though, and he is trailing in some counties), Mariannette Miller-Meeks is down by double digits in IA-2 (her favorability numbers are disastrous and have taken even more of a hit after Rita Hart's challenge in the House), Hinson is trailing a generic D by a high single-digit margin in IA-1 (this is the district where Finkenauer's presence at & Trump's absence from the top of the ticket are having the most detrimental effect on R prospects), and Axne is in no danger whatsoever in IA-3, leading by a wider margin than Feenstra (the extent to which D trends in the Des Moines metro have accelerated under Biden is impossible to overstate; that part of the state is essentially going the way of Metro Atlanta).

My friend also says that it’s an open secret in IAGOP circles that Feenstra is pretty overrated by national punditry/out-of-state observers and that he’s known to be a lackadaisical campaigner who’s in serious danger of blowing a winnable race for the party, which is why there’s been pressure on him to step down.

Thank you for providing this valuable information. One question: Was the poll weighted by ideology? I remember my previous poll found that 85% of Iowa voters describe their ideology as “elastic as hell”, and I wanted to see if this poll took that into consideration.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

. Sen mao

Dem map as of today




It's gonna stay this way pretty much thru Summer 2022 or until there is a 🌊🌊🌊 wave D plus 2.5 Election
Gov map

[sting in the rafters]

Memes aside, I'm not hoping Fink flips the seat. With the way Iowa's going we should be happy if she makes it trend blue.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

She won't win

[The Undefeatable Debbie Stabenow]

Through a very reliable source and friend of mine who’s involved in several IAGOP campaigns at the state and local level, I have obtained access to Chuck Grassley's internal polling. Please do NOT share this with anyone, this is confidential.

Senate:

Finkenauer (D) 52
Grassley (R, inc.) 36

Finkenauer (D) 54
Hinson (R) 33

Finkenauer (D) 53
Feenstra (R) 33

Finkenauer (D) 52
Reynolds (R) 38

Sand (D) 49
Grassley (R, inc.) 41

Axne (D) 48
Grassley (R, inc.) 42

Greenfield (D) 45
Grassley (R, inc.) 43


Governor:

D primary:

Mauhlbauer 48
Sand 40

GE:

Mauhlbauer (D) 50
Reynolds (R, inc.) 41

Sand (D) 49
Reynolds (R, inc.) 41


In the House races, Feenstra is ahead in IA-04 (it’s a lot closer than expected, though, and he is trailing in some counties), Mariannette Miller-Meeks is down by double digits in IA-2 (her favorability numbers are disastrous and have taken even more of a hit after Rita Hart's challenge in the House), Hinson is trailing a generic D by a high single-digit margin in IA-1 (this is the district where Finkenauer's presence at & Trump's absence from the top of the ticket are having the most detrimental effect on R prospects), and Axne is in no danger whatsoever in IA-3, leading by a wider margin than Feenstra (the extent to which D trends in the Des Moines metro have accelerated under Biden is impossible to overstate; that part of the state is essentially going the way of Metro Atlanta).

My friend also says that it’s an open secret in IAGOP circles that Feenstra is pretty overrated by national punditry/out-of-state observers and that he’s known to be a lackadaisical campaigner who’s in serious danger of blowing a winnable race for the party, which is why there’s been pressure on him to step down.

Thank you for providing this valuable information. One question: Was the poll weighted by ideology? I remember my previous poll found that 85% of Iowa voters describe their ideology as “elastic as hell”, and I wanted to see if this poll took that into consideration.

I heard through the grapevine that when they described Abby as a "populist," her margins increased by 10% across the board.

[KaiserDave]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ChuckGrassley/status/1397499636068274177

[UWS]

I think Grassley will definitely run for re-election. For an 88-year old Senator, he is quite sharp and healthy. If you look at one of today's videos from the NRSC's Facebook page, his day starts at 4 am, for 10 he's running 3 miles, rain or shine.

[MRS DONNA SHALALA]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ChuckGrassley/status/1397499636068274177

ah, my favorite game, "Chuck Grassley tweet or OC post?"

[GALeftist]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ChuckGrassley/status/1397499636068274177

ah, my favorite game, "Chuck Grassley tweet or OC post?"

Have you ever seen Chuck Grassley and OC in the same room before? That's all I'm saying.

[brucejoel99]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ChuckGrassley/status/1397499636068274177

ah, my favorite game, "Chuck Grassley tweet or OC post?"

Have you ever seen Chuck Grassley and OC in the same room before? That's all I'm saying.

So you're saying that OC is responsible for Merrick Garland not being a Supreme Court justice right now?

...

Hey, OC? Don't be scared, buddy, I just wanna talk...

[YE]

Through a very reliable source and friend of mine who’s involved in several IAGOP campaigns at the state and local level, I have obtained access to Chuck Grassley's internal polling. Please do NOT share this with anyone, this is confidential.

Senate:

Finkenauer (D) 52
Grassley (R, inc.) 36

Finkenauer (D) 54
Hinson (R) 33

Finkenauer (D) 53
Feenstra (R) 33

Finkenauer (D) 52
Reynolds (R) 38

Sand (D) 49
Grassley (R, inc.) 41

Axne (D) 48
Grassley (R, inc.) 42

Greenfield (D) 45
Grassley (R, inc.) 43


Governor:

D primary:

Mauhlbauer 48
Sand 40

GE:

Mauhlbauer (D) 50
Reynolds (R, inc.) 41

Sand (D) 49
Reynolds (R, inc.) 41


In the House races, Feenstra is ahead in IA-04 (it’s a lot closer than expected, though, and he is trailing in some counties), Mariannette Miller-Meeks is down by double digits in IA-2 (her favorability numbers are disastrous and have taken even more of a hit after Rita Hart's challenge in the House), Hinson is trailing a generic D by a high single-digit margin in IA-1 (this is the district where Finkenauer's presence at & Trump's absence from the top of the ticket are having the most detrimental effect on R prospects), and Axne is in no danger whatsoever in IA-3, leading by a wider margin than Feenstra (the extent to which D trends in the Des Moines metro have accelerated under Biden is impossible to overstate; that part of the state is essentially going the way of Metro Atlanta).

My friend also says that it’s an open secret in IAGOP circles that Feenstra is pretty overrated by national punditry/out-of-state observers and that he’s known to be a lackadaisical campaigner who’s in serious danger of blowing a winnable race for the party, which is why there’s been pressure on him to step down.

Thank you for providing this valuable information. One question: Was the poll weighted by ideology? I remember my previous poll found that 85% of Iowa voters describe their ideology as “elastic as hell”, and I wanted to see if this poll took that into consideration.

I heard through the grapevine that when they described Abby as a "populist," her margins increased by 10% across the board.

This sh**t (especially the first person in the quotes) isn’t that funny anymore and needs to stop.

[wbrocks67]

Wasn't Fink supposed to announce already?

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

This is wave insurence we have Maulberg already and Smith, so if she doesn't run at least the Gov race will be competetive, I will donate to Smith, we need that IA2 seat to build on House Majority
We don't need IA Senate, OH, NC, FL and AK are gonna be close AK has UBI benefits and Murkowski voted against the 2T stimulus after she helped AK get UBI benefits off the oil revenues

Gross can win this time since he isn't running against Sullivan he is running against two females Kelly and Murkowski

[MT Treasurer]

I changed the thread title to something more "serious" and won’t bother you (or anyone else) with these "unfunny memes" anymore, so don’t worry. Feel free to delete this entire thread and replace it with a new one that contains more insightful analysis about how low-propensity Trump voters in the Driftless area will stay home/tear up their ballots without Trump on the ticket or how Biden's approval rating in one Selzer poll may signal a reversion to pre-2016 voting patterns in IA.

All sarcasm aside (and this time for real), I can see why some people think that these "memes" (most of which are responses to actual analyses that have been posted here and not something users just came up with — largely exaggerated reponses, yes, but often not nearly as hyperbolic as you may think and, with very few exceptions, no products of our imagination*) have gotten out of hand. I sincerely appreciate any honest criticism that’s been made in good faith on this matter (and only that kind of criticism), and I’ve always tried to confine these types of posts to threads which are largely based on conjecture/random tweets/subjective assessments/one- or two-sentence predictions and rarely contain any lengthy, granular analysis like the threads on the Political Geography Board. Admittedly, the memes were also somewhat of a distraction for me considering that I’m more than occupied with "serious" analyses and "effort contributions" in my not seldom exhaustive real life. It’s also a lot easier to deal with the one-sided nature/political bias of this forum through less "serious" discourse like that. For all the flak the "memers" have been taking from certain posters on here, it is remarkable that I’ve never received a single private message alerting me of the 'seriousness' of this matter. It’s a little sad that certain (and it’s really only a handful) moderators would prefer bashing/insulting posters publicly rather than just discussing the issue via PM, which is probably the first thing that would come to my mind in a situation like this if I were a moderator. Many (not all!) complaints about these things come from posters who very clearly bear a grudge against people they don’t even know, are not nearly as consistent in their criticism of "repetitive, unfunny memes" on different boards and in interactions with different posters and Atlas "institutions," apparently (and quite literally) spend their entire day accumulating easy recommends by fixating on other posters, and largely seize the occasion to put on a disingenuous show. I’ve said this repeatedly, but if a particular poster supposedly bothers you this much and you still refuse to make use of the ignore button (instead preferring to publicly obsess over their posts/jump on the trendy bandwagon that bashes them or "calls them out"), it really does reveal more about you than about them. Paradoxically, I am grateful for the recent meme hysteria because this episode is a prime example of how this forum encourages arbitrary nastiness and dishonesty — I’m not exclusively talking about a certain contingent of particularly vitriolic posters here, I’ve very much noticed these tendencies in myself and in the way I behave on here as opposed to real-life interactions (this might be reflected in some of my "meme-ish" posts as well). It’s one of the reasons some of my comments come across as condescending or even (at times, at least) aggressive, but the weird part is that I’ve rarely had these experiences outside this forum. I concur with others who have noted that there’s something about this site that brings out the worst in people and fuels destructive, addictive tendencies in oneself that should be stifled as soon as possible. I will reiterate that I don’t bear a grudge against anyone here (even those posters with whom I strongly disagree I don’t consider "unpleasant" unless there’s a clear level of obsessive vitriol directed against me/others), and again with very few exceptions, I’ve enjoyed the individuality and uniqueness of each poster on this forum. I also owe ElectionsGuy an apology because I was unjustifiably harsh in my interactions with him in the lead-up to the 2020 election, being way too confident about my own predictions and deriding his (if anyone else feels like they’ve had that experience with me, I’m genuinely sorry if you thought that I was intent on putting you down or deriding you; in fact, I honestly still have a hard time processing the fact that I haven’t been interacting with random states/avatars this entire time). I genuinely do not wish harm of any kind on anyone — the "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" commandment is one I cherish more than any other one (in spite of its underlying daunting view of human nature given the appeal to man's self-centeredness which it cannot wholly transcend) and I fear violating it myself, be it 'anonymously' or not. It’s in our hands what path we choose to go down, and I try my best to choose good over malice.

In any case, memes or not**, I’ve wasted way too much of my lifetime on this website and it’s time to step in for my personal well-being more than anything else. If anyone wants to discuss something, take it to the PMs — if I can still log in, I will probably pay a visit every once in a while (I might also continue working on that one TL at some point), but you’ll be spared the "memes" from my side from now on. I do (unironically, for once) hope that further contributions will greatly enhance the quality of this thread/board without the abundance/proliferation of memes. Irrespective of this episode, it has long been time for me to devote attention solely to my life outside this forum and not let this site negatively impact me to an extent which I would regret if I did not forestall it right now. If there’s one piece of advice I can offer to all of you, it’s not to lose sight of your actual life and not to let this forum/the internet/social media take hold of you before it’s too late. Don’t waste your life, especially in a manner which you know does not reflect the better sides and the potential inherent in you.   

*That NH "meme" aside, which (believe it or not), I never actually intended to become a meme.

**I will say that I’ve been fond of the moments when the memes became reality (e.g. Cornyn's 2020 NUT map, which I adamantly and foolishly did not foresee — kudos to swamiG for that).

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

. Sen mao

Dem map as of today




It's gonna stay this way pretty much thru Summer 2022 or until there is a 🌊🌊🌊 wave D plus 2.5 Election
Gov map

Safe R like always, Biden Approvals are 52/48%

[S019]

I changed the thread title to something more "serious" and won’t bother you (or anyone else) with these "unfunny memes" anymore, so don’t worry. Feel free to delete this entire thread and replace it with a new one that contains more insightful analysis about how low-propensity Trump voters in the Driftless area will stay home/tear up their ballots without Trump on the ticket or how Biden's approval rating in one Selzer poll may signal a reversion to pre-2016 voting patterns in IA.

All sarcasm aside (and this time for real), I can see why some people think that these "memes" (most of which are responses to actual analyses that have been posted here and not something users just came up with — largely exaggerated reponses, yes, but often not nearly as hyperbolic as you may think and, with very few exceptions, no products of our imagination*) have gotten out of hand. I sincerely appreciate any honest criticism that’s been made in good faith on this matter (and only that kind of criticism), and I’ve always tried to confine these types of posts to threads which are largely based on conjecture/random tweets/subjective assessments/one- or two-sentence predictions and rarely contain any lengthy, granular analysis like the threads on the Political Geography Board. Admittedly, the memes were also somewhat of a distraction for me considering that I’m more than occupied with "serious" analyses and "effort contributions" in my not seldom exhaustive real life. It’s also a lot easier to deal with the one-sided nature/political bias of this forum through less "serious" discourse like that. For all the flak the "memers" have been taking from certain posters on here, it is remarkable that I’ve never received a single private message alerting me of the 'seriousness' of this matter. It’s a little sad that certain (and it’s really only a handful) moderators would prefer bashing/insulting posters publicly rather than just discussing the issue via PM, which is probably the first thing that would come to my mind in a situation like this if I were a moderator. Many (not all!) complaints about these things come from posters who very clearly bear a grudge against people they don’t even know, are not nearly as consistent in their criticism of "repetitive, unfunny memes" on different boards and in interactions with different posters and Atlas "institutions," apparently (and quite literally) spend their entire day accumulating easy recommends by fixating on other posters, and largely seize the occasion to put on a disingenuous show. I’ve said this repeatedly, but if a particular poster supposedly bothers you this much and you still refuse to make use of the ignore button (instead preferring to publicly obsess over their posts/jump on the trendy bandwagon that bashes them or "calls them out"), it really does reveal more about you than about them. Paradoxically, I am grateful for the recent meme hysteria because this episode is a prime example of how this forum encourages arbitrary nastiness and dishonesty — I’m not exclusively talking about a certain contingent of particularly vitriolic posters here, I’ve very much noticed these tendencies in myself and in the way I behave on here as opposed to real-life interactions (this might be reflected in some of my "meme-ish" posts as well). It’s one of the reasons some of my comments come across as condescending or even (at times, at least) aggressive, but the weird part is that I’ve rarely had these experiences outside this forum. I concur with others who have noted that there’s something about this site that brings out the worst in people and fuels destructive, addictive tendencies in oneself that should be stifled as soon as possible. I will reiterate that I don’t bear a grudge against anyone here (even those posters with whom I strongly disagree I don’t consider "unpleasant" unless there’s a clear level of obsessive vitriol directed against me/others), and again with very few exceptions, I’ve enjoyed the individuality and uniqueness of each poster on this forum. I also owe ElectionsGuy an apology because I was unjustifiably harsh in my interactions with him in the lead-up to the 2020 election, being way too confident about my own predictions and deriding his (if anyone else feels like they’ve had that experience with me, I’m genuinely sorry if you thought that I was intent on putting you down or deriding you; in fact, I honestly still have a hard time processing the fact that I haven’t been interacting with random states/avatars this entire time). I genuinely do not wish harm of any kind on anyone — the "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" commandment is one I cherish more than any other one (in spite of its underlying daunting view of human nature given the appeal to man's self-centeredness which it cannot wholly transcend) and I fear violating it myself, be it 'anonymously' or not. It’s in our hands what path we choose to go down, and I try my best to choose good over malice.

In any case, memes or not**, I’ve wasted way too much of my lifetime on this website and it’s time to step in for my personal well-being more than anything else. If anyone wants to discuss something, take it to the PMs — if I can still log in, I will probably pay a visit every once in a while (I might also continue working on that one TL at some point), but you’ll be spared the "memes" from my side from now on. I do (unironically, for once) hope that further contributions will greatly enhance the quality of this thread/board without the abundance/proliferation of memes. Irrespective of this episode, it has long been time for me to devote attention solely to my life outside this forum and not let this site negatively impact me to an extent which I would regret if I did not forestall it right now. If there’s one piece of advice I can offer to all of you, it’s not to lose sight of your actual life and not to let this forum/the internet/social media take hold of you before it’s too late. Don’t waste your life, especially in a manner which you know does not reflect the better sides and the potential inherent in you.   

*That NH "meme" aside, which (believe it or not), I never actually intended to become a meme.

**I will say that I’ve been fond of the moments when the memes became reality (e.g. Cornyn's 2020 NUT map, which I adamantly and foolishly did not foresee — kudos to swamiG for that).

You will be sorely missed and it's a shame that a bunch of people chased you off, especially when they're more than content to force memes on the forum that they like. Honestly, this is no different than what happened to Calthrina and those that chased you off should be punished.

[South Dakota Democrat]

I changed the thread title to something more "serious" and won’t bother you (or anyone else) with these "unfunny memes" anymore, so don’t worry. Feel free to delete this entire thread and replace it with a new one that contains more insightful analysis about how low-propensity Trump voters in the Driftless area will stay home/tear up their ballots without Trump on the ticket or how Biden's approval rating in one Selzer poll may signal a reversion to pre-2016 voting patterns in IA.

All sarcasm aside (and this time for real), I can see why some people think that these "memes" (most of which are responses to actual analyses that have been posted here and not something users just came up with — largely exaggerated reponses, yes, but often not nearly as hyperbolic as you may think and, with very few exceptions, no products of our imagination*) have gotten out of hand. I sincerely appreciate any honest criticism that’s been made in good faith on this matter (and only that kind of criticism), and I’ve always tried to confine these types of posts to threads which are largely based on conjecture/random tweets/subjective assessments/one- or two-sentence predictions and rarely contain any lengthy, granular analysis like the threads on the Political Geography Board. Admittedly, the memes were also somewhat of a distraction for me considering that I’m more than occupied with "serious" analyses and "effort contributions" in my not seldom exhaustive real life. It’s also a lot easier to deal with the one-sided nature/political bias of this forum through less "serious" discourse like that. For all the flak the "memers" have been taking from certain posters on here, it is remarkable that I’ve never received a single private message alerting me of the 'seriousness' of this matter. It’s a little sad that certain (and it’s really only a handful) moderators would prefer bashing/insulting posters publicly rather than just discussing the issue via PM, which is probably the first thing that would come to my mind in a situation like this if I were a moderator. Many (not all!) complaints about these things come from posters who very clearly bear a grudge against people they don’t even know, are not nearly as consistent in their criticism of "repetitive, unfunny memes" on different boards and in interactions with different posters and Atlas "institutions," apparently (and quite literally) spend their entire day accumulating easy recommends by fixating on other posters, and largely seize the occasion to put on a disingenuous show. I’ve said this repeatedly, but if a particular poster supposedly bothers you this much and you still refuse to make use of the ignore button (instead preferring to publicly obsess over their posts/jump on the trendy bandwagon that bashes them or "calls them out"), it really does reveal more about you than about them. Paradoxically, I am grateful for the recent meme hysteria because this episode is a prime example of how this forum encourages arbitrary nastiness and dishonesty — I’m not exclusively talking about a certain contingent of particularly vitriolic posters here, I’ve very much noticed these tendencies in myself and in the way I behave on here as opposed to real-life interactions (this might be reflected in some of my "meme-ish" posts as well). It’s one of the reasons some of my comments come across as condescending or even (at times, at least) aggressive, but the weird part is that I’ve rarely had these experiences outside this forum. I concur with others who have noted that there’s something about this site that brings out the worst in people and fuels destructive, addictive tendencies in oneself that should be stifled as soon as possible. I will reiterate that I don’t bear a grudge against anyone here (even those posters with whom I strongly disagree I don’t consider "unpleasant" unless there’s a clear level of obsessive vitriol directed against me/others), and again with very few exceptions, I’ve enjoyed the individuality and uniqueness of each poster on this forum. I also owe ElectionsGuy an apology because I was unjustifiably harsh in my interactions with him in the lead-up to the 2020 election, being way too confident about my own predictions and deriding his (if anyone else feels like they’ve had that experience with me, I’m genuinely sorry if you thought that I was intent on putting you down or deriding you; in fact, I honestly still have a hard time processing the fact that I haven’t been interacting with random states/avatars this entire time). I genuinely do not wish harm of any kind on anyone — the "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" commandment is one I cherish more than any other one (in spite of its underlying daunting view of human nature given the appeal to man's self-centeredness which it cannot wholly transcend) and I fear violating it myself, be it 'anonymously' or not. It’s in our hands what path we choose to go down, and I try my best to choose good over malice.

In any case, memes or not**, I’ve wasted way too much of my lifetime on this website and it’s time to step in for my personal well-being more than anything else. If anyone wants to discuss something, take it to the PMs — if I can still log in, I will probably pay a visit every once in a while (I might also continue working on that one TL at some point), but you’ll be spared the "memes" from my side from now on. I do (unironically, for once) hope that further contributions will greatly enhance the quality of this thread/board without the abundance/proliferation of memes. Irrespective of this episode, it has long been time for me to devote attention solely to my life outside this forum and not let this site negatively impact me to an extent which I would regret if I did not forestall it right now. If there’s one piece of advice I can offer to all of you, it’s not to lose sight of your actual life and not to let this forum/the internet/social media take hold of you before it’s too late. Don’t waste your life, especially in a manner which you know does not reflect the better sides and the potential inherent in you.   

*That NH "meme" aside, which (believe it or not), I never actually intended to become a meme.

**I will say that I’ve been fond of the moments when the memes became reality (e.g. Cornyn's 2020 NUT map, which I adamantly and foolishly did not foresee — kudos to swamiG for that).

You will be sorely missed and it's a shame that a bunch of people chased you off, especially when they're more than content to force memes on the forum that they like. Honestly, this is no different than what happened to Calthrina and those that chased you off should be punished.

Punished?

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

snip

Godspeed, IndyRep! I wish you the best!

[CookieDamage]

Wth are yall talking about...?