[lbo-talk] High voter turnout / 'real' VA questions

[Scott Stewart]

Sorry to hear about your recent trip to WaynesWorld.  Next time you might
try to make the Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival on the other side of Afton
Mountain going toward C-ville = more to see.  Actually parts of Waynesboro
are doing well now that the new "power strip" by the interstate has brought
in Starbucks and the big boxes.  It is also becoming a bit of a bedroom
community for C-ville since Albemarle County and C-ville prices are forcing
people out.  The Boss Hogs just took over the city council again, but with
more outsiders coming in and insisting business be done in public (and not
through the 10 PM traditional phone calls), there might be some changes
coming.  I was driving through the tree streets (Cherry, Poplar, Magnolia,
etc - this is an old DuPont town with convenient dumping into the South
River and the engineers would live in the tree street areas while they did
their 1-2 year stints before going back up north) this morning feeling
positive about all the Obama signs - very surprising in this "don't elect a
murderer" area.  As far as breakfast goes, next time stay away from the
chains and try the Basic City diner by the railroad tracks or Weasie's
Kitchen on Broad Street (your pancakes are free if you hike down from the AT
at the top of the mountain).  Scott Stewart

 
Message: 1

Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:08:07 -0700 (PDT)

From: "shag" <shag at cleandraws.com>

Subject: [lbo-talk] High voter turnout / 'real' VA questions

To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org

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<0ffd42a98518dd3f651a009c7739f1e6.squirrel at webmail.cleandraws.com>

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Last week, the local public radio station predicted a 85% turnout rate for a
town in the area. I don't know where they got the number, and don't know
what normal turnout rate is. Still, the figure was dropped in the context of
claims that the turnout was going to be exceptionally high this year, so
much so that polling places wouldn't be able to handle the influx.

I've heard similar on national news, though nothing like a predicted 85%
turnout rate any where else.

A higher than normal turn out rate of more than 2-5% seems farfetched to me.
Thoughts?

As for the 'real' virginia stuff, are Staunton, Swoope and Waynesboro not
the real VA? What about Boyd Tavern, Rugby, Hebron, Shadwell, Fisherville?

Waynesboro looked completely down and out. We were too early for the
artisanal crafts co-op, which was why we were in Waynesboro. So I drove
around looking at the area, which looked severely economically depressed.

The only action I saw on a Sunday morning were a bunch of people who seemed
to be crying and upset, just outside one of those store front
churches/ministries in what looked like a former Dollar General. Oh, and the
local military school's marching band was setting up to perform what looked
like a routine Sunday morning drill.

We did find a True Value hardware store that was open before noon, though,
and cruised the aisles to kill time.

Also? I tried one of those Cracker Barrel places for breakfast.

ppptheeeewi. ppptheeewi. I can't believe these places are mobbed constantly
for breakfast. the "hash browns" tasted distinctly like Betty Crocker. And
the gravy. Larda merci on me: just crap. And they put sliced yellow --
YELLOW -- american cheese in R's omelette. ppptheeeewi!

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