Flashback 1984: Massacre at a McDonald’s

 

A full 40 years has passed since the [Wednesday,] July 18, 1984 massacre at a McDonald’s in San Ysidro, California.

This is in San Diego County and near the U.S.–Mexico border.

The shooter was James Huberty, 41, who murdered 21 people and wounded 19 more before he was fatally shot by SWAT officer/sniper Chuck Foster.

(More from Wikipedia: San Ysidro McDonald’s massacre.)

There have been, in U.S. history, such murders in well-known restaurant establishments. 

Last November, I wrote and posted Flashback 1978: The Burger Chef…Murders. 

In 1983 were the murders of five in another fast-food restaurant, KFC, in Kilgore, Texas. (Link: Kentucky Fried Chicken murders.) 

In 1991 were the murders of 23 at a Luby’s in Killeen, Texas. (Link: Luby’s shooting.)

In 1993 were the murders of two co-owners/spouses and five of their employees at a Brown’s Chicken in Palatine, Illinois. (Link: Brown’s Chicken massacre.) 

According to a 2023 report by Business Insider, the 1984 San Ysidro McDonald’s Massacre is the eighth worse, for mass shooting fatalities, so far in United States history. (Link: The 30 deadliest mass shootings in modern US history….)

Given the many public venues for such multiple or mass murders … this does not feel surprising here in 2024. According to that Business Insider report, there have been four even deadlier mass shootings since the 2010s.

The 2016 documentary on the mass murders in that San Ysidro McDonald’s—which was demolished and replaced by a memorial outside Southwestern College—is titled 77 Minutes. 

The film is by Charles Minn. 77 Minutes is serious and respectful, especially to the victims and their survivors, and it gives insight to the destruction caused by the murderer.

The above video is that documentary on YouTube. It is sensitive content. It is also available on Amazon’s freevee as well as Tubi. Below link, but not with embedded video, is of crime scene footage (which is also in the documentary at around the 40-minute mark). 

YouTube video clip by Leak Launch: 

1984 San Ysidro McDonald’s Massacre Crime Scene Footage

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Hard Lens Media Reaches 15M … ‘Featured In … Zago’

Hard Lens Media recently reached 15 million views to its channel. 

Along with several independent content creators, host Kit Cabello is featured in art work by Lucio Zago (website: https://www.luciozago.com/).

As we close out July to enter August 2024 … and, even with the main topic rather sad, this is encouraging.

It is a nice. 

Much-loved.

Well-earned.

Biden Is Out!

The speculation, for months, that incumbent United States president Joe Biden will not end up with the 2024 Democratic Party presidential nomination … is official.

This decision was announced on Sunday [July 21, 2024].

This whole situation is—to put it kindly—tasteless.

I consider this an extension of a Democratic Party rigging their presidential primaries to exert as much control as they can muster. (None of what has recently transpired lacked awareness for a few years.)

The 2016 Democratic presidential nomination was rigged for Hillary Clinton.

The 2020 Democratic presidential nomination was rigged for Joe Biden.

The 2024 Democratic presidential nomination will be rigged for … Substitute Nominee.

Below videos are responses by content creators (Congratulations, Due Dissidence’s Keaton Weiss!):

Attempted Assassination of Trump

The attempted assassination of 45th U.S. president Donald Trump, at a rally on Saturday, July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania, was covered that evening on Hard Lens Media. 

Host Kit Cabello welcomed his guest, Due Dissidence’s Keaton Weiss (who will soon take leave as his wife is expecting to give birth later this month), to discuss this attack.

The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was killed by the Secret Service Counter Assault Team.

One civilian, Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed in the attack.

Three others, including Trump, were injured.

This Hard Lens Media special coverage offers a perspective much in agreement with mine. 

Kit and Keaton even spoke to what this means … electorally. (Their livestream video is linked above.)

I am making this brief because this is new and, for the time being, ongoing; and, of course, I think the Comments section would be even more suitable for posts and/or discussions.

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‘Sabby,’ New York, and Me

 

Last week’s [July 8, 2024] Progressives Chat addressed a change in trajectory for U.S. President here in 2024. That, due to poor job-approval numbers for Democratic incumbent U.S. president Joe Biden (who constantly struggles for 40 percent), there are emerging states suggesting this election may result in 40 or more carried states for Donald Trump. 

I mentioned this change in trajectory to the host of Sabby Sabs. She had a post-livestream Zoom session, which I joined, last Tuesday [July 9, 2024]. I alerted host Sabrina Salvati to what I addressed here last week: an expanding electoral map. 

I presented the list of states—following the six much-focused “Swing States” (Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan)—which were recently polled and are in play. 

In 2020, Trump was unseated with 25 states. Following these six “Swing States,” and based on their probable order ranking after No. 31 Michigan, the potential additional pickups are: No. 32 Minnesota; No. 33 New Hampshire; No. 34 Maine (state); No. 35 New Mexico; No. 36 Virginia; and No. 39 New Jersey. (This is with respect to ranking the states, for Trump/Republicans, according to percentage-points margins by which they may or may not carry.) 

I took this potential list all the way to a probable No. 44 California. For New York, the latest to hit the news (see below link), I estimate it would rank the No. 42 best state for 2024 Trump/Republicans. 

After completing the list, I asked for Sabrina’s reaction. She cited New York as one with which she disagreed. She was thinking of the deep blue that is New York City. She invited likewise feedback by regular viewer and contributor Roger Meadows. He is a resident of the state. They went over its voter party registration to conclude it may not be feasible.

Following new polling on New York (from last Wednesday, July 10, 2024) showing the Empire State is now in play … Sabrina presented that report on her livestream, on Thursday [July 11, 2024], and expressed an apology (not at all necessary) and much-respect directly to me. (This segment, above video, was clipped and published to YouTube on Saturday, July 13, 2024.)

Related link (source was cited on Sabby Sabs):

Biden support slips in deep blue New York: ‘We’re a battleground state now’

Election 2024: A New Trajectory

The fallout from the June 27, 2024 presidential debate has the Democratic Party, with or without re-nomination for incumbent Joe Biden, facing electoral devastation.

Gallup reports Biden, from June 3–24, 2024, is polling at 38 percent.

Post-debate, some national and state-to-state polls show movement in the direction of 2024 Republican nominee and former U.S. president Donald Trump. Some polls have reported a national lead of R+6. 

There now appears to a be a change in the trajectory of this election race.

At least one internal Democratic Party poll shows No. 11 populous state New Jersey—which ranked the No. 13 best state in percentage-points margins for the 2020 Democrats (No. 38 for the Republicans)—is in play and can flip. (It last carried Republican in 1988.)

States like Minnesota, New Hampshire, Maine (statewide), Virginia, and New Mexico (Nos. 15 to 19 for the 2020 Democrats; Nos. 32 to 36 for the Republicans) are now in play. 

Some of these states connect to other states which vote like them: Minnesota with New Hampshire; New Mexico with Nevada; Virginia with Colorado; New Jersey with Illinois with California; slotted in this area is Oregon (No. 12 for the 2020 Democrats; No. 39 for the Republicans) which votes like neighboring Washington. 

I think this may be an early preview of an expanding electoral map that is only beginning to warm up.

We may or will experience the first United States presidential election since 1988 with a minimum of 40 carried states. Some specific information, in this topic, will focus on this possibly playing out.

From 1992 to 2020, no winner carried more than 32 states. Average number of carried states, with those eight election cycles, were 29. Prevailing Republicans averaged 30 carried states. Prevailing Democrats averaged 28 carried states. To go to 40, which means 80 percent of all states get carried, would be refreshing.

A U.S. presidential election with 40 or more carried states can be described as a Landslide and/or a Wipeout and/or Epic. I consider it an absolute Consensus.

A 4-to-1 ratio of states carried vs. those not carried is healthier than the 3-to-2 ratio played out from 1992 to 2020. It helps discredit some of the propagandistic narratives of there being overwhelming divide among citizens in a Red States–vs.–Blue States United States. 

We have had plenty of these Consensus outcomes. During the 20th century, we had eleven: 1912, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1972, 1980, 1984, and 1988.

This nation is overdue.

How will this happen?

Citizens, in response to the presidency of Joe Biden, and overall conditions, will vote to blow out—and blow away—the 2024 Democratic Party.

This is due to every issue—most especially Inflation—which has The People not willing to renew the incumbent White House party for the next four years.

The U.S. Democratic Party is imploding while the Biden presidency is collapsing.

Electoral Map

The map is so alarming for the 2024 Democrats … there is no point of coloring anything Blue.

Solid Red are 2020-to-2024 Republican holds for Trump. (He starts with his 2020 outcome of 25 carried states, plus Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, and 235 electoral votes.)

Light Red are 2020 Democratic-to-2024 Republican pickups. (These are the six commonly focused “Swing States” and, below, I offer an estimate for where they may rank as the Republicans’s No. 26 to No. 31—and to No. 50—for best-performed in their percentage-points margins. Slots.)

 

These “Swing States” combine for +77 electoral votes to bring the map to a minimum 312 electoral votes. (That is, realistically, the starting point.)

For those not colored in Blue, most are vulnerable to a 40-state (or 40-plus state) loss suffered by the 2024 Democrats: They go on the “Watch” list, rather than me focusing on which ones will hold, and appear in Yellow.

Biden’s last name appears in brackets whether or not he ends up his party’s official 2024 nominee.

Reaching 40 States (and Beyond)

In 2020, Trump lost to Biden in the U.S. Popular Vote, 46.80% vs. 51.26%, by a margin of –4.45 percentage points. Let’s call it … –4.

Given that Biden’s job approval is a constant struggle for 40 percent, this area of high-30s to low-40s percent may be the best a 2024 Democratic nominee can get in the U.S. Popular Vote. 

Before all this, I would have guessed a 3-point national margin: Biden 46% vs. Trump 49%. (The remaining five percent combine for all other candidates.) 

Given this new change in trajectory: We may be in 1980 Jimmy Carter-vs.-Ronald Reagan territory. The former received 41.01%. The latter received 50.75%. Reagan carried 44 states. In this case: Biden (or Substitute Nominee) vs. Trump would be in the area of 39 or 40 vs. 50 or 51 percent. The two-party vote combine for, say, 90 to 91 percent. All other candidates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (perhaps good for 5 to 7 percent nationally), can reap a considerable share of votes the Democrats lose from their party coalition, who they have been alienating, but who would not opt to vote for Trump.

Considering all this…

I estimate Trump will reach 40 carried states if he wins the U.S. Popular Vote by +8. (This was the experience of 1988 George Bush. He carried 40 states and 426 electoral votes.) This would become achieved by a net gain of +12 percentage points.

To go from a national loss of –4 to a win by +8 percentage points, and with a net gain of +15 states (after having carried 25 in 2020), would average +1.25 states with each percentage point nationally shifted. Every +4 percentage points nationally shifted would yield a pickup of +5 states.

U.S. Popular Vote, Percentage-Points Margin, in Relation to Carried Number of States

• R+0: carry 30 states (probable order of pickups: Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania)

• R+4: carry 35 states (Michigan, Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, Minnesota, New Hampshire, statewide Maine, New Mexico)

• R+8: carry 40 states (Virginia, Colorado, Oregon, New Jersey, Illinois)

• R+12: carry 45 states (Maine’s 1st Congressional District, Washington, New York, Connecticut, California, Delaware)

• R+16: carry 50 states (Rhode Island, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont)

• R+17: carry District of Columbia

All this cannot necessarily be guaranteed. From one election to the next, not everything ends up ranking in the same slot numbers. But, the above list is not far off. The first three groups—No. 26 Georgia to No. 40 Illinois—is accurate (or accurate enough). Getting past 40 carried states is a bit more guess work. (In 2020, the Democrats’s four best states, following non-state District of Columbia, were: Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Hawaii. I rank Rhode Island closely with Hawaii because the two have voted the same since the Aloha State joined the Union and first voted in 1960.)

One more point to consider: In the 1992–2020 period, the highest number of carried Top 10 populous states has been 8. (This was applicable to 1996 Bill Clinton and 2008 Barack Obama.) To surpass 40 states, usually one reaches a ninth Top 10 state. Since after the Civil War, 1936 Franklin Roosevelt, 1964 Lyndon Johnson, and 1980 and 1984 Ronald Reagan carried all of the Top 10. The number of states a presidential winner carries tends to see close to 25 percent of that represented by one’s number of carried Top 10 states. Getting past 40 carried states, Trump would be on his way to No. 9 New York and, if he can sufficiently shift it, No. 10 California.

I will post in the Comments section some videos which are related to this topic.

The Voters Must Be Respected

Current U.S. President Joe Biden’s debate performance against previous U.S. President Donald Trump, last Thursday [June 27, 2024], sparked calls for Biden to not go forward.

Go forward is what the 2024 Democrats should do.

The primaries and caucuses are done. People who participated have expressed with their vote that incumbent U.S. President Biden is their candidate. 

The 2024 Democratic Party have their general-election nominee with U.S. President Joe Biden.

The voters—the people who think enough of the Democratic Party to participate in their nominating process in 57 contests—must be respected. To override them, by members on the inside of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), would be disrespectful on the level of 1968. (Not a nice memory.)

Joe Biden is the overwhelming choice as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee—and he should become re-nominated—as this becomes official, in Chicago, Illinois, the week of August 19, 2024.

Yes.

The Voters Must Be Respected.

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Next week: I will address what I consider the status of this Election 2024 race for U.S. President. That will be published Monday, July 8, 2024. In the meantime: I leave a screenshot of Due Dissidence’s livestream, from Sunday, June 30, 2024, in which hosts Keaton Weiss and Russell Dobular discuss this issue. It includes the below comment by me.