Dorm Lounge Discussion

So Twitter is... atwitter... about Justin Amash's possible candidacy for President. He's launched an exploratory committee to run as a 3rd party candidate. The reaction among Biden supporters is mostly freak-out. Comparisons are being made to Nader and Stein, people saying he'll hand the election to Trump. I want to hear your thoughts, but I'll give mine first.

I admire what Amash has been doing these past few months, standing up for Constitutional norms and basic decency. If it were a choice between him and Trump, I would take Amash in a nanosecond. But policy-wise, Amash is *several* bridges too far for me on all kinds of levels, and I'm a center-left voter, not a hard-core progressive! Nader and Stein drew votes from the left wing of the Democratic party. Gary Johnson probably drew some Dem-leaning independents away from Hillary Clinton, but Hillary was uniquely unpopular among independents. I don't think Biden will have a big problem with that group, and Amash won't be acceptable to Progressive Democrats. I don't think he attracts many folks at all who are already OK with voting for Democrats.

Who *will* Amash appeal to? Two groups, IMO:

1) Never-Trump True Conservatives (NTTCs). Many of these voters are considering or have even committed to voting for Biden. Amash might be a tempting alternative, and he might pull some of them. They could be a concern. However, I think many will still vote for Biden because they are a practical bunch. They know Amash won’t win, and they fervently believe another Trump term will mean the end of the American Experiment. They were worried about maybe having to vote for Bernie, but they can live with Joe Biden. Getting Trump out is their #1 priority. (Although NTTC author of this link thinks Amash is a danger to Biden.) They care more about principals of good government (as they interpret it) and the survival of our political system than any one policy.

2) Republicans who are disillusioned with/ scared of/ tired of Trump, but for whom pro-life is their #1 issue. They feel deeply that they *cannot* vote for a pro choice candidate. Without Amash (or someone similar) on the ballot, they hold their nose and vote for Trump or they stay home. They do not under any circumstance vote for a Democrat. Amash gives them a legitimate alternative. Yes, it’s only a protest vote. Yes, they are smart enough to know that, but so did Stein voters, and there were enough of them to change the outcome of the election. I think Justin Amash will pull a decent number of strongly pro-life women, who hate the kids in cages, the misogyny, the disastrous Corona Virus response, but who put all that on the scale against abortion and come up even. These women (and some men) were NEVER going to be Biden voters. They subtract from Trump.

So my opinion? Amash helps Biden more than Trump. (Or hurts Trump more than Biden? Same thing, I guess.) Where Amash can cause damage to Democrats is in the Senate races. Both my hypothetical Amash-friendly groups are likely ticket-splitters, voting for Biden or Amash for President, but a Republican senate candidate, if one is on their ballot. This is not to be taken lightly if you care about the direction of the Senate, which you should.

What do you think? Agree or disagree? Do you think Amash will run ultimately or not? (I'm not sure. I think he'll have a hard time getting press coverage during the COVID crisis.)

Alexander's Outward Bound Raffle!

Click Here to donate and enter the Raffle! Details below

Outward Bound is a wilderness education program that has been around for 75 years. Its main goal is to “prepare students of all ages and circumstances with the strength of character and determination they need to thrive.” They do this by taking students into the wilderness to challenge them mentally and physically. 

Change of plans! For programmatic reasons, Alex had to chose a different trip. He is now participating in the Outward Bound Blueridge Mountains trip in North Carolina. This will include 22 days of rock climbing, whitewater canoeing and backpacking over the summer. He will be challenged to work as a team with a diverse group of teenagers and leaders to survive in the back country. They will have no cell phones or contact with the outside world. They will be pushed to the max, physically and mentally. Alex will get to spend 24 - 72 hours on “solo,” a chance to go off on his own to reflect and center himself with nature. 

We have been saving up to give Alex this life-changing experience for a while now, but we decided a fund-raiser would help us reach the final goal. In addition to the cost of the course, there are travel expenses to get there and back. He will also need to purchase a high-quality clothing and gear.

Rather than simply ask for donations, we decided to get creative with a Charlot Family Raffle!

Every $10 you donate will put your name in the drawing once. ($50 will put your name in 5 times, etc.) Our goal is to raise $2,500, which is less than half of what the trip and gear will cost.

We will draw 3 names for 3 prizes:

-- 2-3 hours of service from Alex (yard work, cleaning, help with basic tech issues, etc.)

-- Genealogy from Stephanie. Basic family tree, including some research and a file you can print for display. This will be customized depending on what you need/want!
-- A Wholistic Tech Support Services package from Firmin.  1 Hour of expert consultation on tech security, configuration, or whatever other tech needs you may have, plus a 3 month subscription to Wholistic Tech Support. ($110 value) See www.wholistictech.com  for more information on this service.


We will hold the drawing on March 31, 2020 and contact the winners as soon as we possibly can after that.
Here is the link again to donate via Paypal. Be sure to include identifying information so we can put you in the drawing! If you do not want to participate in the raffle, just let us know. Of course you can donate in person or by mail if you prefer. 😊

We fully expect this experience to be one that helps shape Alexander's development as a man. Firmin was blessed to participate in an Outward Bound adventure off the coast of Maine as a teenager. He credits it as one of the most formative times of his life. Your support for helping Alexander have a similar experience will mean so much to him and to us. He will go knowing he has his community behind him all the way!



Thank you so much for considering helping Alex out! He's so excited to make it happen.

With Gratitude,

The Charlot Family