# So I guess I am Voting for Kathy Barnette **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 13, 2022, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368 "2022-05-13T15:35:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/41 "2022-05-14T00:30:48Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > . . . she is so extreme that she could never win against Democratic If it wasn’t a Republican year, I think Fetterman would easily defeat any of them (Oz, McCormick, Barnette). Having been attacked from the left, by his primary opponents, makes Fetterman electable in November With all three Republicans, there are questions about how Pennsylvanian they are. All three are associated with an extremist by the name of Donald Trump. Fetterman the Everyman vs. McCormick hedge fund guy would be highly damaging for the latter. As for Oz, he is a smooth talker, which AFAIK isn’t a proven electoral asset. Are many Pa. voters bigoted against a Muslim candidate? I don’t know, but he’s rich and strange and Fetterman is closer to normal than almost any normal politician. Barnette? Refusal to pivot to the center might sink her. But I don’t see prior tweets, or a shaky resume, doing it. And Fetterman would have to treat her with respect, while he could go after the other two without fear. So, I’m unconvinced that voting for Barnette is superior Democratic strategy, aside from morals qualms I have about the operation chaos approach. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/42 "2022-05-14T02:53:21Z")
This tells me that Barnette has some ability to pivot towards the center: > **[Barnette on Islam-pedophilia tweet: ‘I don’t think that’s me’](https://thehill.com/news/campaign/3487740-barnette-on-islam-pedophilia-tweet-i-dont-think-thats-me/)** > > Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate Kathy Barnette on Thursday denied writing a tweet that claimed “pedophilia is a Cornerstone of Islam,” saying that she “would have never said that.” In an&n… Would it be better, politically, to apologize for the tweet, rather than to lie? Maybe in Japan. (Not a slam against either American or Japanese political culture — they are different.) As for electability, we already know that you can tell vile lies about Barack Obama and Muslims, separately and together, and win statewide in Pennsylvania (Trump 2016). After years of claiming Barack Obama was a secret Muslim, it must be a strange experience to be running neck and neck with a real one. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/43 "2022-05-14T03:06:30Z")
This particular bigot is running neck and neck with a white Muslim. His whiteness overshadows his Muslimness. Of course Barnette won’t apologize for talking smack about Islam. After all, she has also [tweeted that Islam should be banned in the United States](https://twitter.com/Kathy4Truth/status/843561872238546949). So, yes; that really is her. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/44 "2022-05-14T03:29:36Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > This particular bigot is running neck and neck with a white Muslim. His whiteness overshadows his Muslimness. Next Tuesday, we should see a good test of this thesis. If Oz loses, despite being Trump-endorsed, it won’t disprove your claim, but it will be evidence against it. The stronger evidence is from polls like this: [Less Than Half in U.S. Would Vote for a Socialist](https://news.gallup.com/poll/254120/less-half-vote-socialist-president.aspx) > [@](#): > > Among religious identities, more than nine in 10 Americans say they are willing to vote for a qualified Catholic or Jewish candidate, while smaller majorities say they are willing to vote for an evangelical Christian (80%), a Muslim (66%) or an atheist (60%). > > Meanwhile, Americans are nearly universally willing to vote for a black (96%) or Hispanic (95%) candidate – and the same is true for their willingness to vote for a woman (92%). Now, if Fetterman can lie about having endorsed Bernie, we are home free . . . (Of course, that last sentence isn’t true. But Fetterman has to say he isn’t a socialist himself.) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/45 "2022-05-14T09:07:26Z")
All in all, the Republican primary, and the Republican party is a hot mess. I see this morning’s _Inquirer_ already came to that conclusion. [We wanted to endorse in Republican primaries this year. We can’t](https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/pennsylvania-senate-governor-republican-20220513.html) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/46 "2022-05-14T09:38:10Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > This varies widely by state. Many states allow voters to vote in whichever primary they prefer, regardless of party affiliation. Yes, it does vary. Hence, there are two terms for primaries. A “closed” primary means you have to register with a party and can only vote on that party’s candidates. Many require you to change your registration some time in advance if you want to switch parties. When you register to vote in such a state there is generally a requirement or at the very least pressure to indicate which party you belong to, which is really annoying to people who actually want to be independents (it can also mean that if you don’t declare a party you can’t vote in the primary, only in the general election). An “open” primary means anyone can vote for any party’s candidates. This can and does result in people sometimes voting on the other party’s slate of candidates. And, as always in the US, each state has slightly different laws and rules. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/47 "2022-05-14T10:20:56Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > When you register to vote in such a state there is generally a requirement or at the very least pressure to indicate which party you belong to, which is really annoying to people who actually want to be independents (it can also mean that if you don’t declare a party you can’t vote in the primary, only in the general election). I strongly support this and think it’s a feature, not a bug. If someone doesn’t want to identify as a Republican or a Democrat, that’s fine. But, you shouldn’t have a voice in how those parties select candidates. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/48 "2022-05-14T10:23:12Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > It’s a valuable strategy to try and change things from within rather than from without. If the OP is still holding out hope to try and get back the Republican Party he used to agree with, it can make sense to stick with them. Why? Is he a Republican operative, lobbyist, or pollster? Does he hold office as a Republican? I’ve said it before on this forum, but I honestly don’t get loyalty to a political party. I’m a fan of the NY Giants, but if they were doing the football equivalent of what the MAGAs are doing, that would be the end of it. And, I get more enjoyment watching football than following politics (maybe not watching the Giants for the last few years…). I’m registered as a Democrat and vote in the primaries, but I don’t consider being a registered Democrat as part of my psyche or sense of self. Maybe I’m odd that way. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/49 "2022-05-14T10:33:28Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > I’ve said it before on this forum, but I honestly don’t get loyalty to a political party. I’m a fan of the NY Giants, but if they were doing the football equivalent of what the MAGAs are doing, that would be the end of it. And, I get more enjoyment watching football than following politics (maybe not watching the Giants for the last few years…). But politics is different than sport. These people are going to be elected and affect our day to day lives. The Giants winning the Super Bowl doesn’t unless you’re part of the NFL ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/50 "2022-05-14T10:42:40Z")
All the more reason to abandon the crazy politicians (if you think they’re crazy, of course). It makes it more important to leave behind loyalties to parties. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/51 "2022-05-14T11:26:59Z")
Yikes! This morning’s _Failing New York Times_ is going on red alert this morning with at least two stories saying Barnette might win. (How embarrassing it would be for Oz if he were to lose to such a nut.) Time to rethink my strategy. Maybe McCormick. You know, the American oligarch. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/52 "2022-05-14T12:03:02Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Maybe McCormick. You know, the American oligarch. Who, again, is advised by _Stephen Miller._ As far as Dems go in PA, I just don’t think we’re ready for a black gay guy from Philly to represent us, sadly. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/53 "2022-05-14T12:42:08Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > All in all, the Republican primary, and the Republican party is a hot mess. > > I see this morning’s _Inquirer_ already came to that conclusion. [We wanted to endorse in Republican primaries this year. We can’t](https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/pennsylvania-senate-governor-republican-20220513.html) It’s a mess alright. And that editorial itself is a hot mess. For instance: “There is no inherent virtue in supporting the policies that this board supports — but that’s not the point. The question isn’t how can more people agree with us, but how can this nation come to a place where we reach different conclusions and hold different opinions while operating from the same commonly shared set of facts? We don’t have an answer.” That passage follows the editorial board’s expressed dismay at the anti-abortion rights position of Republican candidates. What they should have said was there _is_ inherent virtue in supporting abortion rights - instead of jabbering about how candidates could possibly come to different conclusions while looking at “the same commonly shared set of facts”. Those “different conclusions” mean the Republican candidates are wrong.\* \*as opposed to the view of many that Trump won the election, which goes beyond wrong into delusional territory. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/54 "2022-05-14T13:27:00Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Yep, Voters don’t elect the President, States do. It’s complicated. Really? Can you explain how a state does something? People elect the President. Their votes get grouped together based on what state they live in. And their votes get assigned different weight based on what state they live in. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/55 "2022-05-14T13:37:56Z")
My sympathies to our non-American Dopers trying to make sense of American election structure. It’ll get worse, too. In '24 some state legislatures are likely to simply override popular votes in their states and declare it _perfectly legal_. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/56 "2022-05-14T13:39:38Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > People elect the President. The people (voters) do _not_ elect the president, the electoral college (which is, admittedly, made of people, but not _the people_) does. Technically, a state legislature _can_ appoint the electoral college with no input from the voters altogether. That’s how it was done in many states in the early days, and there’s nothing legally stopping a state from going back to that system. TBH, I’m a bit surprised that none have. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/57 "2022-05-14T14:23:30Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > The people (voters) do _not_ elect the president, the electoral college (which is, admittedly, made of people, but not _the people_ ) does. I understand how the system works. But when people say that states vote, they’re trying to draw attention away from the reality that we have a system that erases many people’s votes and gives people unequal votes. Those truths are unpleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/58 "2022-05-14T16:08:15Z")
Step 1: Gerrymander your state legislature so that your party wins control with less than the state’s majority of votes Step 2: Throw out votes in parts of the state where your opponent’s voters gave them a majority of the state’s total Step 3: Democracy as the Founders intended! ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/59 "2022-05-14T17:55:54Z")
Don’t vote for clowns in primaries because “they can’t win a general election”. Too many of them have and do. In the final analysis Republicans will only abandon trumpism if it proves to be a losing electoral strategy. If you have a “Republican” year (which history says is likely) there’s enough voter ignorance to let some given percentage of mow-rons slide in just because they’ve got the right letter next to their names. Beat 'em in the primary and hope you’ve got one sane candidate in the bunch. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2022, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368/60 "2022-05-14T19:00:35Z")
One of Barnette’s tweets from 2014 is going viral today. [https://mobile.twitter.com/Kathy4Truth/status/421667950895308800](https://mobile.twitter.com/Kathy4Truth/status/421667950895308800) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-guess-i-am-voting-for-kathy-barnette/964368.md?page=4)