The Sweep: The First Thing We Do, Let’s Be Nice to All the Lawyers

Plus, what happened in the Kansas and Tennessee primaries.

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Welcome to the August doldrums. In presidential campaign world, this month can feel like one of those 19th century military encampments as troops amass, polishing their weapons around the campfire at night, feeling the battle will start in just a few weeks. Everyone from the campaign manager to the lowest field staffer knows that this is their last chance to steal a nap, have dinner with a cloth napkin, or take a luxurious 15-minute shower without being forced to turn off the water to answer the phone with soap still in their hair (ahhhh, burning memories … literally!). 

Starting in September, the battalion will be in a dead sprint to charge Election Day Hill and the war will be in full swing.

But there is one exception. This feeling of impending doom/excitement/anticipation lasts a lot longer for the lawyers. Like so many children during their 1950s duck and cover drills, these lawyers prepare for months for a day that is perpetually unlikely to happen: a multi-front recount. Will this year be different? 

We’ll also take a quick look at the primaries from this week and what we learned. There are 85 days left. Let’s dive in!

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  1. Avatar photo
    John D. Wright

    Sarah, I am really glad you joined the Dispatch. I love all the guys but it's good to have your voice in the mix. I appreciate you more every day. And this newsletter is great.

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    John D. Wright

    Sadly two way too Trumpy guys in my opinion. I am hating the party nowadays. I hope after Trump is can turn away from this insanity.

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    Earl King

    One of the more interesting issues confronting many "conservatives" is Voter Fraud. Why conservatives? Progressive liberals love voter fraud as they feel it benefits them. My contention is that fraud exists. Sometimes by bad actors as we recently saw in Patterson NJ or by cheaters with good hearts. For example people who vote in both NY and Florida. A more benign form of fraud. Then there is the not so benign. The LA Times found a dead guy who had voted multiple times after his death. Someone broke Federal Law. In an era where we have seen a Presidential Election decided by 500 votes and hanging chads it should have alerted us to pursue a better system. A 2018 Congressional Race was decided by a coin toss. Even a single fraudulent vote can change an outcome.
    In 2016 we know illegals voted in the Presidential Election. Just not how many. With Voter Motor Laws (registered automatically when you get a drivers license) we know that illegals are Registered. We also know that many "local" elections now allow illegals to vote. How many are voting in Federal Elections? I'd love to know. If one is in charge of elelctions on a local level (County Level) and that person believes illegals should vote...how hard are they looking for ballots where local voting is ok but not Federal. Do they get the same ballot as citizens?
    Can The Dispatch argue that if Democrats could waive a wand they wouldn't allow illegals to vote? So, what is the solution is an age where 1 single fraudulent vote can change a Federal Election? Finally, ballot harvesting...it smells, its odious and seemingly I have a vision of a young eager person presenting themselves as a "ballot collection assistant"...Helping the elderly fill in their ballot. If it turns out they want to vote for Trump...after collecting that ballot...how do we know it didn't make it in to the trash heap? Do I think the anger towards Trump would drive someone to do something like that? Absolutely. We just had a BLM person tell us that looting Gucci on Michigan Ave was there due, their reparations. Yes I think collectively the Left will cheat to get rid of Trump.

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  4. Avatar photo
    Rev Snow

    From the write-up here, I'm enticed into the belief that the once-mentioned, never described figure, Bob Hamilton, is the most important character in Kansas, and I'm not getting the story.

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    Ray Salemi

    Sarah, I absolutely love your metaphors and analogies. Fantastic!

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    Ray Salemi

    Fun fact: Sasha Issenberg refers to the narwal as a “mythical tusked whale.”

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  7. Victoria Ferauge

    I am loving this newsletter, Ms. Isgur. Thank you! Another quick overseas voter question for you: Washington, my home state which has a vote by mail system, allows overseas voters to send in their ballots by email. This means that Washington overseas voters can avoid international and domestic mail hassles and postmark problems. However, this method is not recommended by overseas voting organizations. Still, given the issues in some places with counting ballots would we be better off (more likely to have our vote counted, less likely to have it be "lost") in those states that allow it if we sent our ballots in as a PDF attachment in an email as opposed to using international and domestic snail mail?

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  8. Avatar photo
    ARS

    Me: “One day maybe I could write a newsletter on Substack and people will pay to subscribe. After all, I have decades of political and comms expertise.”
    Me after reading “The Sweep,” knowing Sarah also helps write the morning Dispatch and runs a couple podcasts each week, never mind a newborn at home: “Why must you crush my dreams with your excellence. I know whatever I produce will never be worthy of this awesomeness.”

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      Sarah Isgur vertical-nib Author

      Oh man! Thank you! This is awesome to read from someone else’s perspective but thank goodness this is a *written* medium right now is all I have to say;)

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  9. Justin Ennis

    I love this newsletter, it is absolutely fantastic.

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    Angie

    Such a fun read, while I enjoy all the newsletters, this one is the most fun and least depressing...and I still learn things I didn't know...even the comments are cool...lol

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