Editing 2136: Election Commentary

{{comic
| number    = 2136
| date      = April 12, 2019
| title     = Election Commentary
| image     = election_commentary.png
| titletext = This really validates Jones's strategy of getting several thousand more votes than Smith. In retrospect, that was a smart move; those votes were crucial.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by XOF NEWSBOT 3000. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is a joke about the way newscasters commentate elections, and how they make it far more complicated than it needs to be in an election in which the candidate with the most votes wins. It's not uncommon for these methods to be used to imply the election is neck-and-neck long past the point one candidate has an insurmountable lead. 

Smith has 55384 votes, while Jones has 59102 votes. Instead of comparing the votes as one number, and admitting that Jones' four thousand vote lead is likely going to earn him the lead, Cueball compares each digit to see which is larger. Ultimately he implies that Smith has a chance to win, ''if only he could pull ahead in the thousands digit'' and secure a dramatic upset.

It should be noted that for U.S. Presidential elections, the candidate with more votes does not necessarily win, and instead the winner is determined by which candidate leads in which state, are actually more complicated than depicted, and require 52 separate comparisons (51 to determine who is leading in each of 50 states and the District of Columbia, and then one to compare the candidates' total electoral vote).

The title text is a similarly satirical twist on a common news comment during elections. Candidates often employ different strategies during the election season, with varying degrees of success. For example, if a strategy collected many votes (or important votes, see above paragraph), then it could be said that the area it affected was "crucial". Here, the area affected by Jones' ''strategy'' (an entire place value" is said to have been crucial- an obvious claim, seeing as greater place values always result in greater amounts indicated.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Cueball is presenting a graphic on his left that shows two names followed by five digits]
:Cueball: Smith is leading in 3 of the 5 digits, and is tied in another. But Jones has a solid lead the thousands place, if Smith can't catch up there, it's over.

:Smith&nbsp; 5 <span style="color:gray">5</span> 3 8 4
:::<sup><small>tie</small> X ✓ ✓ ✓</sup>
:::<sub><small>tie</small> ✓ <span style="color:gray">X X X</span></sub>
:Jones&nbsp; 5 9 <span style="color:gray">1 0 2</span>

:[Caption below the panel:]
:A lot of election commentary just consists of ways to add up who has more votes.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]