Ideas for Election Stories

Several months ago, I wondered what I could do to help defeat Trump.  Without going crazy, like donating money or talking to people.  What things were there that I felt comfortable enough doing?  I figured I could write some stories, as sort of a cautionary tale of what a Trump Dictatorship could look like.  That was a great idea, but it turns out I don’t have the time, energy, patience, skill, etc., to write all these stories.  But I don’t want these story ideas to just fade away after November.  Especially if there is someone out there who could make something of these ideas to further the cause of making Trump’s defeat even greater.  So here are some story ideas I won’t get around to writing before the election.  If you can make something of them, then go for it.

Story #1

This is a simple story of some news reporter giving a glowing speech about how grand and vibrant Trump is as he begins his third term and how the Chosen People cheer him on while the Anti-Trumpers are trying to destroy the world, or some such BS.  During all of this, in the background there is video of Trump, who is just this drooling blob in a wheelchair. 

Story #2

There has been a lot of weird shit during this election.  Like, didn’t Vance once say something about only people with kids, biological kids, that is, should vote because only they have a stake in the future, or some shit?  I know it was only like a month ago, but a thousand weirder things have happened since.  Anyway, this story is a news report about how a Republican Congress passed some bill, which Trump signed, that restricted voting to only people with biological children.  The bill was named after some Senator who, thanks to the genetic testing now required to vote, learns that his kids aren’t biologically his.

Story #3

This is more of a “fun” story, in that some Republican asshole tries to impeach President Harris on Day 1.  The fun comes when someone, possibly even President Harris, rips them and the entire Republican party to shreds over it.  I think the greatest problem with this one is that there is so much material to shred the Republican party on, that you run the risk of dragging on for too long.

Story #4

This is a story I actually started writing, with the title “A Rose by Any Other Name.” The story was about some Republican asshole in Congress proposing a bill that if passed would certainly be signed by Trump, that outlawed giving gender neutral names to babies.  Like, the parents couldn’t just name their kid Sam, it would either have to be Samuel or Samantha. 

This idea began when I wondered if parents would start doing that so that the kid could decide if they were a Samuel or a Samantha or just a Sam.  I don’t know if that is even a thing parents are doing, but I realized that even if it isn’t a thing that’s happening, there are those who would spend a great deal of time and effort to make sure it couldn’t happen.  I mean, it’s not like they could spend that time and effort to try to solve an actual problem that’s harming people. 

I started writing this, and one point I wanted to bring up is there are a couple countries that have some sort of naming board.  Some of these are for cultural reasons, while others are for more grammatical reasons.  I sort of fell into a rabbit hole on this, which just confused me so I set the story aside and now I don’t have time to hammer something out of it. 

This election is far from over

With all the buzz over Harris and the multiplying dumpster fires that is the Trump campaign, I was starting to feel relieved.  And then I remembered that’s how I felt in 2016.  We had one competent candidate with years of service who, while not being able to solve all of America’s problems, would at least take steps to put dents in the problems, and then there was this dumpster fire named Trump.  And while I still believe that come next January we’ll have President Harris, here are my election predictions and why I won’t really relax for another six months or so.

First off, I predict that Harris will easily win the popular vote getting the most votes of any candidate ever.  I also predict that she’ll win the Electoral College roughly the same as Biden did in 2020.  She might pick up two or three states, but she might also lose a state or two. 

Immediately after the election, there will probably be two hundred or so lawsuits filed about the election.  I predict that 50ish percent of them will be dismissed almost immediately because they are clearly batshit insane.  Another 40ish percent will be dismissed rather quickly because, while not obviously insane, there won’t be any evidence of whatever criminal act they claim happened.  The remaining lawsuits, while actually falling into the previous two categories, will unfortunately be seen by judges who will take them as an opportunity to audition for the next Supreme Court seat Republicans get to fill.  And while no actual wrongdoing will ever be proven from all these lawsuits, their true purpose will just be so countless assholes can talk about the “concerning questions” these lawsuits bring to the “faith” in the outcome of the 2024 Election.

When Congress certifies the election, I doubt there will be another attack on the Capital, if for no other reason that this time we’ll have a President who won’t just sit there and watch it happen for hours without doing anything.  I’m sure there will be protests, but they will be kept clear of the Capital.

And while I’m 99% certain that Harris will be sworn in as President next January, and all the MAGA trickery will amount to … nothing, I can’t shake the feeling that the truly diabolical members of the right have some secret plan to throw a wrench into Harris’s Presidency.  But I bet such a plan would come out before or just after she’s sworn in.  Which is why I won’t fully be relaxed about this election until sometime next spring.

Random Story – Payphone stories

These are just odd little stories from my life.

Back in ’92 or ’93, I went on a school trip to Toronto.  It was one of these where we left at midnight, did something in Toronto, and were home again at like 4 AM the next day.  What we did on that trip, I don’t remember.  But at one point, a group of us were someplace and we figured it was a good time to use the restroom.  I remember we went down a set of stairs, and ended up in this lounge area with the restrooms on the ends.

A friend of mine and I had finished, and we were waiting out in this lounge for another one of our friends.  In this lounge, there were four or five payphones, and I was standing next to them.  I don’t know why, but I stuck my finger in the change return of the nearest one.  My friend started to say something about if I was that desperate for money or something, when I pulled out a quarter.  He then got angry alternating between claiming I was trying to prank him and what was the luck that I’d check some random payphone in another country and find a quarter.  Well, it was a Canadian quarter from a Canadian phone.  If it had been a US quarter, that would have been another level.

The other payphone story I have, happened like ten years later.  When I lived in towns, I enjoyed taking walks late at night to let my mind wander and plot stories.  Which is something I can only really do in a place with sidewalks and streetlights, and where I live now has neither.  But I get to see a lot more stars.  Anyway, one of my walking routes took me by the courthouse in this town, and outside it there were two or three payphones.  One night, I was walking by them and just randomly checked for coins, but didn’t find any.  I kept going, until I heard a woman call out to me.  She walked over and tried to give my like $10.  I was confused, until I realized she thought I was homeless.  She figured only homeless people would check for coins.

I can’t remember the last time I saw a payphone.  But if I ever see one again, I’ll probably check for change, just for memories.  Plus, a quarter doesn’t buy as much as used to, but it’s still money.