From CNN:
Federal court scraps New Jersey’s controversial ‘county line’ ballot design
Voting rights advocates scored a major victory Friday in New Jersey when a federal judge struck down the use of a controversial primary ballot design that favored party-backed candidates.
The decision is potentially a grave blow to the state’s powerful political machines, which have for decades used the so-called county line to prop up their endorsed candidates. The system is currently used in 19 of the Garden State’s 21 counties.
The preliminary injunction granted by US District Judge Zahid Quraishi is almost certain to be appealed, but, for now, it means that New Jersey voters will use office block ballots – the standard across most of the country – during the June primary. The lawsuit was brought by Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who is running for the seat of scandal-tarred incumbent Sen. Bob Menendez, and two other South Jersey-based House candidates, who argued that the current system is unconstitutional.
Quraishi’s order includes specific language barring county elections officials from organizing their ballots “by column or row” and replacing it with a “randomized ballot order system … which affords each candidate for the same office an equal chance at obtaining the first ballot position.”
Anger over the “county line” ballots has been growing for years in New Jersey, the only state that uses the design. Activists filed a lawsuit in 2021 that Kim, with the same lawyers, effectively revived with his Senate bid as he competed against party machine-favored rival Tammy Murphy, the first lady of New Jersey.
But Murphy dropped out of the race earlier this week amid a grassroots backlash tied, in part, to frustration over the advantages conferred by “the line.”
“Today’s decision is a victory for a fairer, more democratic politics in New Jersey. It’s a victory built from the incredible grassroots work of activists across our state who saw an undemocratic system marginalizing the voices of voters, and worked tirelessly to fix it,” Kim said in a statement that described the ruling as a triumph for those working “to restore and protect voting rights.”
First!
From NJ.com:
A judge makes another big decision in fight over N.J.’s controversial primary ballot system
A federal judge on Monday denied a request by county clerks to halt his own high-profile decision to eliminate New Jersey’s controversial “county line” ballot design in this year’s Democratic primary as the ruling faces an appeal.
U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi on Friday granted an injunction against the system — the only of its kind in the country — as part of a lawsuit U.S. Rep. Andy Kim filed claiming the setup was unconstitutional as he runs for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
…
The injunction means the setup is blocked for the June 4 Democratic primary and clerks are required instead to group candidates together by office, as other states do.
Seventeen of the state’s 21 county clerks on Friday appealed the decision to the U.S. 3rd District Court of Appeals and asked the judge to stay, or stop, the ruling’s implementation during the appeals process. They argued redoing the design so quickly is unfeasible, saying it posed an “undue risk to the administration of this year’s primary elections.”
…
But Quraishi denied their long-shot request.
“Specifically, Defendants do not raise any new facts or laws suggesting their appeal is likely to succeed on its merits,” the judge wrote in his new decision. “The Court declines to retread the same ground a second time.”
Go one step further, remove political party affiliation from the general election ballots too.
Good example of the ballot layouts in NJ vs. Elsewhere:
https://www.njpp.org/publications/report/toeing-the-line-new-jersey-primary-ballots-enable-party-insiders-to-pick-winners/
At what point do the incumbents start arguing that the ballot design is for our own safety, just like gas pumping restrictions.
Kanye rubbing off on Adidas, I guess? Or is it that controversy marketing is cheaper than influencers now?
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/02/style/germany-adidas-soccer-jersey-nazi-symbol-controversy-intl-hnk/index.html
Grim: I don’t know how someone at Adidas did not catch that.
“The decision is potentially a grave blow to the state’s powerful political machines, which have for decades used the so-called county line to prop up their endorsed candidates.”
NJ, just shaking my head…truly a backwater. Nice link to NJPP, never knew they existed. A voice of reason in this otherwise poseur State.
“At what point do the incumbents start arguing that the ballot design is for our own safety, just like gas pumping restrictions.”
Care to make a side wager from which side of the aisle this proposal would arise, and whose muppets will be providing full throated endorsement?
And, chi, right on cue from my post of late last week of course the ten decides to fuck with me…fun times. Gonna be an interesting day for me…..
Rollin’ in the deep…lol. Not in the good way….
I could see why the left would be the most p1ssed by the switch to office block styles as it now requires a closer examination of the candidates. Usually, the lefty voters would see the left group all lined up and push the knob like a Macaque demanding some monkey biscuits.
Libturd,
I’d buy you lunch at Saint Armand’s Circle if you were visiting that part of FL.
I think Popstroke is a rip-off. Clearly inspired by TopGolf, it’s more an overpriced bar than it is golf. I’d imagined that Tiger Woods would try to recreate some famous greens. But his miniature golf course is no more realistic than the windmill stuff. Less fun than a pirate mini golf course for kids, yet not realistic enough for serious golfers either.
I went once, I’d never go back. You can have more fun setting up a game for free if you have a golf course that will let you putt on their practice greens.
How are you liking the wrinkled swinger sex parties in The Villages with the retired NJ/NY public servants?
Like the Frankenstein monster, the liberal left sees a dem selling their grandmother’s soul for votes and repeats the mantra: “Democrat good, Republican bad!” It’s a sign of dedication to the public that a dem is willing to fight for them at all costs! Of course, that’s after all contracts are secured for their inner circle and everyone gets paid handsomely from the pilfered coffers.
And realistically, I don’t know why I use the word ‘democrat’ for the party. Our fathers and grandfathers were members of the democrat party; men that worked tirelessly to build a country and served patriotically when called upon. What’s known as the present democrat party represents a confused mass of angry, resentful agitators searching for a purpose using manufactured crises. What can we do today to demonstrate our rage?
Left: Quite a move.
Ten 439
Is it Japanese repatriating money? Kind of an odd time for a selloff, although we are days beyond a huge quarter end distorted by a long weekend.
Got a problem, call a cop. Now you have two problems. Well, actually, she will never have any more problems forever.
Teenage kidnapping victim, 15, is gunned down by cops while running towards them for help as one officer is heard pleading with deputies to ‘stop shooting her’ in horrific new helicopter footage
“Covid ruined a lot of things. Including being able to walk into the NYC passport office downtown and walk out with a passport by lunchtime that day.”
Let me fix that for you…
****An intentional and entirely misdirected heavy handed government policy supported to this day by the embedded Federal bureaucracy**** ruined a lot of things….
No reason whatsoever that today the downtown passport office and service is not open other than a bunch of (by definition) left-leaning bureaucrats and their Democratic benefactors don’t want it to be…
Yet the panty waisted Leftists on here are so frightened by a Heritage Foundation paper on how to address politics long embedded in the Executive branch.
Remind me someone…is Gary Gensler (Head of the SEC) still working from home giving interviews on major policy issues in front of his well appointed fire place?
How many Federal buildings are empty, bereft of employees?
Must be nice, I don’t know of any other CEO who hasn’t been to the office in four years…
Because, you know, the Federal agencies were known for operating so efficiently to begin with….
But stay entrenched in the fear the Left instills in you as you hop back on your hamster wheels this morning…Just keep pushing out that 37% of your effort to DC…..
Run, mutherfuckers, run. Spin that wheel! Faster!
chi, white knuckling it for sure….avoided being the weak hand about 25 minutes ago but not thrilled with the knee jerk of the T market…trade thesis was placid until the May 1 meeting so targeted mid-April expiry…Powell combined with ISM kind of fucked that up…turned everything upside down, each data point now over the next ten days is big exposure to me in jumpy market versus a just ‘checking the box’ toward the meeting…hate doing this but capital preservation first probably going to bail, at least half….pain eased a bit in that I’m running flattish after taking into account the gains in the SPX short I mentioned I put on…maybe exit half and then the remaining half will be fully hedged by that SPX…not the intention of that trade but….should have taken some profit on this one last week and not been greedy. I hate seeing embedded gains evaporate…
“Is it Japanese repatriating money? Kind of an odd time for a selloff, although we are days beyond a huge quarter end distorted by a long weekend.”
Japanese apparently intervening/considering so in the yen…if the case obviously need to liquidate some….Catalyst here I believe was Powell opening his mouth with what many of us on here know to be true (why are we talking any cuts any time soon) on a mostly ignored speech on Good Friday combined with strong ISM yesterday (first time positive 16 months)….shook the market from its stupor that maybe they ought to not have three (or more) cuts priced in…
Thoughts if the market (not the Fed) moves the ten up another 25bps in the next two weeks?
In any case Powell + ISM + offside market + bunch of upcoming data before meeting = jumpy bond market….
In Basking Ridge, the BOE moms would maintain control within their cliques. They would resign a few months before, the board would fill the seat with one of their chosen friends, then they run as the “incumbent” in the upcoming election. First on ballot was always most likely to get elected.
9:31 riiiiight somehow your party’s standard bearer avoided serving, squandered millions of inherited dollars, multiple failed marriages, a half dozen bankruptcies, and thousands of lawsuits.
“9:31 riiiiight somehow your party’s standard bearer…”
Ohhhh there sports fans, look at that deflection off the side of the net!!!
I didn’t know that US News ranked states education systems.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education
You’ll never guess which state is #1
Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump… 24/7 on the bleeding wound networks and s0cial media. The guy has beat out the Beatles for being more popular than Jesus Christ. He could die tomorrow and the lib media would still run stories about him day after day. The focus is on one guy as opposed to the party which proves the theory that the left suffers from a mental disorder.
And speaking of Jesus, let’s declare Gender Confusion Day on the same day as the most cherished event of the Christian faith. The new Rx for youth depression is to chop ones dick off. Brilliant. No longer are the antiquated methods of grooming applied, now it’s a whole other level of sophisticated application. This is what has become of your grandfather’s political party.
Lib, WBA.
Knife falling off table and no time now to list positive attributes but ATEOTD as long as you believe this isn’t going to zero not an inopportune time…a kitcken sink recent few months through earnings last week (ie, no near term company specific surprises) trading at 6x re-affirmed this year earnings…
What if they suspend the dividend?
leftwing says:
April 2, 2024 at 2:09 pm
Lib, WBA.
Knife falling off table and no time now to list positive attributes but ATEOTD as long as you believe this isn’t going to zero not an inopportune time…a kitcken sink recent few months through earnings last week (ie, no near term company specific surprises) trading at 6x re-affirmed this year earnings…
1:01 He’s human excrement.
SAN FRANCISCO/LONDON (Reuters) – The ranks of would-be Tesla buyers in the United States are shrinking, according to a survey by market intelligence firm Caliber, which attributed the drop in part to CEO Elon Musk’s polarizing persona.
While Tesla continued to post strong sales growth last year, helped by aggressive price cuts, the electric-vehicle maker is expected to report weak quarterly sales as early as Tuesday.
Caliber’s “consideration score” for Tesla, provided exclusively to Reuters, fell to 31% in February, less than half its high of 70% in November 2021 when it started tracking consumer interest in the brand.
Tesla’s consideration score fell 8 percentage points from January alone even as Caliber’s scores for Mercedes, BMW and Audi, which produce gas as well as EV models, inched up during that same period, reaching 44-47%.
The ranks of would-be
TeslaEV buyers in the United States are shrinking, according to a survey bymarket intelligence firm Caliberthe top 10 EV makers, which attributed the drop in part toCEO Elon Musk’s polarizing personaAmerica’s lack of desire to have them jammed down their throats.Fixed it.
chi already cut dividend 75%. got tossed out the dow. replaced the ceo. took down estimates. rating agencies downgraded debt. announced store closings. massive writeoff of a recent acquisition….
don’t know what else is out there to happen lol…especially since we’re through earnings release…not as if they are going to announce something tomorrow after being on the ER call on last Thurs…..
Think they also got caught in the downdraft of weaker market due to rates and selloff of healthcare around Medicare Advantage which is not really part of their business.
not saying they’re NVDA or even a good 5 year investment…but one of these for me like META…if it’s not going to zero gradually leg in however you want to long, put writes, spreads or even shares. start with 1/4 to a 1/3 of final hold and just keep buying the way down….would use some option strategy around this one for basis reduction or risk management at least…did it around earnings, I’m pretty long here already although my options around my long shares expire Friday so either will readjust around the shares or collapse the structure and open new positions further out (put writes, maybe some long call spreads).
META reversed because the CEO implemented 2 polices. #1 stop taking large wads of money to the public square and set them on fire; #2 take all the talent and resources marshalled to implement #1 and apply the Ginsu knife to them. The result was instant explosion of free cash flow.
WBA needs to have Trump win the Presidency, and have him implement draconian law and order policies, and also have a series of woke prosecutors voted out of office. Doable, but closer to herding cats versus the single stroke of the pen of Zuck.
leftwing says:
April 2, 2024 at 3:25 pm
chi already cut dividend 75%. got tossed out the dow. replaced the ceo. took down estimates. rating agencies downgraded debt. announced store closings. massive writeoff of a recent acquisition….
don’t know what else is out there to happen lol…especially since we’re through earnings release…not as if they are going to announce something tomorrow after being on the ER call on last Thurs…..
Think they also got caught in the downdraft of weaker market due to rates and selloff of healthcare around Medicare Advantage which is not really part of their business.
not saying they’re NVDA or even a good 5 year investment…but one of these for me like META…if it’s not going to zero gradually leg in however you want to long, put writes, spreads or even shares. start with 1/4 to a 1/3 of final hold and just keep buying the way down….would use some option strategy around this one for basis reduction or risk management at least…did it around earnings, I’m pretty long here already although my options around my long shares expire Friday so either will readjust around the shares or collapse the structure and open new positions further out (put writes, maybe some long call spreads).
WBA.
They bought Summit Health/CityMD which is big in these part. The reality is that around here your doctor is probably either with Hackensack Meridian, RWJ Barnabas, Atlantic Health, United Healthcare’s Optum, or Summit. If not within this group then they are part of the smaller Hospitals’ network.
In leftwing’s side of the argument I opine that WBA is turning into Aetna CVS, United Healthcare Optum, Hackensack Meridian, RWJ Barnabas without the insurance or hospital which gives them the flexibility. In Summit’s case their doctors have individual privileges across individual hospitals within all the other hospital network. You want Valley, St.Mary’s, Etc. more importantly they do everything now in house in their new complex they call the Hub in Clifton. They recently bought out WestMed in Richland and NJ Urology and oddly they have a medium size operation out of all place in Oregon. If WBA expands and does not screw up along the Summit Health/CityMD line they should be growing.
On to politics; my belief that a lot of the push for the right comes from over 40 with money, which I believe is 100% of posters here. Mr Chad Power please comment.
http://www.reuters.com/world/europe/rich-retired-boom-beneficiaries-who-finance-germanys-far-right-2024-04-02
“META reversed because the CEO implemented 2 polices.”
META was one of my best trades. Not kidding.
Catalysts may be different, setup very similar.
Point is not why META reversed but that it was not going to zero, it was buyable all the way down, and it was misperceived. Zuck fixated on the metaverse, Wall Street said ‘please don’t’, and he said ‘fuck off’. WS predictably sold him off and it was game of chicken from there…after however many tens of (greater than a hundred?) billions of personal wealth dollars later Zuck relented. I know, I was buying that pig hard by 120 maybe as high as 160, and ended by buying at the bottom near the 80s. The misperception was that, although technically accurate under GAAP, the costs of the metaverse were running through the p/l which did not matter in the long term. If you asked any investor if instead of spending on the p/l for the metaverse had Zuck simply done an acquisition that didn’t pan out for the same amount would you have levelled the stock the answer would be ‘no’. With Zuck controlling the spending spigot and META able to fund the dollars set ablaze from the cash hoard, which recall was earning nothing in a ZIRP environment, it was a heavily one way trade.
I see something similar here….First point if you believe this is going to zero obviously stay away. I don’t, debt is under control, and they have a significant portion of their market cap in shares of COR of which they just sold about $1B for liquidity. WBA kitchen sinking everything over the last two quarters is similar to Zuck’s stubbornness at the very end…there just isn’t much negative left in the tank. Both had significant declines from highs, and were hitting lows not seen in a decade. And were at stupid cheap valuations relative to peers.
Only issue, this situation like META should be done with options to lever returns and minimize risk but it doesn’t have as much liquidity in the options…that’s why for earnings I had to long shares and wrote calls to cover for premium (21s and mostly 22s) and then opened long put spreads underneath (two wide, mostly at 21/19 and some 20.50/18.50). Happily when she popped after earnings I closed the long side of the puts for pennies which now has me entirely indifferent where the shares go, anywhere between $20 and zero I’m losing a dime a share, so I’m actually hoping for a total meltdown this week and I either back up the truck and reload the same trade at lower levels or if she actually declines that much I may even step in hard with uncovered put writes 45 days out which premium can offset some call debit spreads for the same expiry; and just exit the shares essentially flat.
To be clear if anyone other than chi actually made it this far, (i) nothing here ever is an investment recommendation, and (ii) I personally would NOT buy just the shares long without any options buffering.
Beyond your reasoning, the difference I see is that META is a tremendous business that was being mismanaged. Alternatively, WBA is a POS business, which is further being bolted together as a conglomerate, or as Peter Lynch used to say “deworseification”. I understand the point about “so bad it is good”. I just see META as (previously) being springloaded, while WBA is going to take a good amount of structuring your return profile to achieve a similar effect.
LAX: for you
https://youtu.be/GYkL3HqFXCY?si=pN65iAWu7fRoK5ND
Yesssssir
When you partner with a shit gibbon:
Former President Donald Trump has sued the co-founders of Truth Social, alleging they mismanaged the social media platform early on and should therefore lose their stock in the company, which recently went public.
In papers filed last week in Florida state court, Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. argued that executives Wes Moss and Andy Litinsky made a series of costly mistakes that resulted in a long delay in the company’s going public and urged a judge to strip them of their shares in the company.
The pair, who were contestants on Trump’s NBC show “The Apprentice,” had pitched him on the idea of Truth Social after he was banned from what was then known as Twitter following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
“This was a phenomenal opportunity for Moss and Litinsky,” the suit says, adding that they were both “riding President Trump’s coattails.”