US Elections 2020

[broncofan]

Mark Levin is a right-wing radio personality. An awful personality and person. In most states it is prohibited by law for the elector to vote for anyone other than the person who won the popular vote in that state and those laws have been upheld by the Supreme Court. I haven't seen a survey of those states that don't have laws forbidding it vs. those that do but I believe it's an extremely unlikely outcome. Below is an article about "faithless electors."

The other legal avenues don't look very promising to Trump. Recounts probably won't accomplish anything, trying to invalidate the ballots that PA segregated might be moot if there are fewer than the margin of victory. I believe when Trump's legal cases are thrown out and the recounts are finished he won't have any avenues left.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...rs/6159795002/

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020...-popular-vote/

PA is one of the states without a law forbidding faithless electors but this just came up on my twitter feed.

[Stavros]

Mark Levin is a right-wing radio personality. An awful personality and person. In most states it is prohibited by law for the elector to vote for anyone other than the person who won the popular vote in that state and those laws have been upheld by the Supreme Court. I haven't seen a survey of those states that don't have laws forbidding it vs. those that do but I believe it's an extremely unlikely outcome. Below is an article about "faithless electors."

Thanks for the link and the clarification -this to me is the key paragraph -and one that aso relates to public employees who object to marrying same-sex couples, it's about the job description in their contract, not their personal views-

""The Supreme Court made it clear that the elector is not there to vote his or her conscience. The elector is there to vote how the state dictates," said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California-Berkeley Law School. "Most states now forbid faithless electors."

[KnightHawk 2.0]

Republican Senators Lindsey (SC) and Ted Cruz (TX) and chairwoman of the Republican National Committee Rona McDaniels had no problem with the media back calling the presidential election in 2016,because their so-called leader Donald Trump won the election and congratulated him,and now 4 years they have an issue with the media because Donald Trump lost re-election,and and going on television echoing the same baseless claims that their so-called leader is making. shows that they sore losers and how far the Republican Party has sunked over the last 4 years.

[KnightHawk 2.0]

Donald Trump's niece Mary Trump warned that her uncle would be proned to "meltdowns" in the period between his electoral defeat and president-elect Joe Biden's inauguration next year. "This is what Donald's going to do: he's not going to concede,although who cares. What's worse he's not going to engage in normal activities that guarantee a peaceful transition", Mary Trump told the Guardian. In the interim,she said, he'll be having meltdowns upon meltdowns right now. He has never been in a situation like this before''. " All he's got right now is breaking stuff,and he's going to do that with a vengeance she added.. And Donald Trump already begun the meltdown by firing Defense Secretary Mark Esper. https://thehill.com/homenews/adminis...ext-few-months

[Stavros]

There have been some gushing articles in the UK press about Stacy Abrams, notably in the Guardian and the Independent. D some of you have any thoughts on her future, and would she make a better President than Kamala Harris? One paper thinks she could be the next Attorney General.

[KnightHawk 2.0]

There have been some gushing articles in the UK press about Stacy Abrams, notably in the Guardian and the Independent. D some of you have any thoughts on her future, and would she make a better President than Kamala Harris? One paper thinks she could be the next Attorney General.

I think that Stacey Abrams would be a good candidate for the Secretary of State in the Biden-Harris Administration,however i think that Kamala Harris would make a better president.

[broncofan]

Commentators in the U.S. are trying to figure out whether we're looking at a slow-motion coup. The best guess of most legal analysts is that this is merely an attempt to placate Trump's ego before Biden takes office and give Trump something to talk about for the next four years. Doing that has risks of its own but I'm more interested in what happens January 20th.

The first thing I'll say is that legal analysts believe the lawsuits will all end up being dismissed or will not involve enough votes to matter in the case of the segregated ballots in Pennsylvania. The investigation that Barr has opened has resulted in one resignation already even though Barr's memo indicated he is only going through the motions to satisfy Trump. The issue of faithless electors is a loophole that I wish more states would close but would be more likely an issue in this election if Biden expected 270 electoral votes instead of 306.

There doesn't seem to be a path for Trump to remain in office short of commandeering the military to use force in order to maintain his power. The ballot recounts will proceed but not change the outcome. The voter fraud investigations might turn up things that Republicans can claim is odd or seem funny but will not turn up systematic fraud that benefited Biden to the tune of tens of thousands of votes. And the legal claims for throwing out all mail in ballots are so laughable that any Justice who countenanced those claims would be known to posterity as a laughing stock. But it's all unnerving.

[Stavros]

Broncofan, I think you are right to look to the longer term, but it is also important to ask what is happening with the Repubican Party. I was struck by this comment made by Lindsay Graham

-"The US will never again elect a Republican president unless lawmakers "do something" about mail-in voting, Senator Lindsey Graham said on Monday."

What strikes me about it, is the lack of any sense by Graham that if his party were to improve its image, and develop policies that appeal to a wider set of voters, they would benefit from any kind of voting system, be it by mail or in person.

It seems to me these guys are stuck in a mindset that has so enveloped them they can't think outside it. Similarly, at this moment in time, because Trump did better than expected, indeed scored the second highest vote in history, they can't decide if they should dump him or stand by him, knowing that if they dump him they can reclaim their party and open up the leadership to a younger generation; but if they stick with him, the party of Lincoln is gone. The key question, will he still command so many votes in 2024 as he has done in 2020 is impossible to answer.

This all sounds academic, but I think the people around the President are determined to fight on in the slim hope that they can still retain the White House. Presumably they think they have won Alaska, can win Arizona and Georgia in a recount, Pennsylvania if they can force a recount there -can it be done if the/a court decrees mail in ballots fraudulent and inadmissable?

Can the Attorney General have key Democrat officials in Pennsylvania arrested for election fraud, not because they might be guilty, but just as a publicity stunt, one that will enrapture the 70% of Republicans who think the election was rigged?

The intriguiing thought for 2024 is that Donald Junior might compete with his Dad for the nominaton, that his Dad might break away from the GOP and form an independent party, particularly if he thinks he has been betrayed by the GOP, if they decide to dump him. For all his servile arse-licking, I undersand Mitch McConnell and Joe Biden have been friends for many years- could the Iceman Come through for Joe -especically if the GOP loses Senate seats in Georgia?

One final thought seeing the crane on the news, the one setting up the stage for the inauguration -would it not be better for Biden to have a simple swearing in ceremony in the White House, rather than a big public event? It would make sense in the context of Covid-19 and also avoid the embarrassment of not seeing one President hand over to another, given that the 45th will probably be sulking -in Florida?

[Stavros]

Broncofan, I think you are right to look to the longer term, but it is also important to ask what is happening with the Repubican Party. I was struck by this comment made by Lindsay Graham

-"The US will never again elect a Republican president unless lawmakers "do something" about mail-in voting, Senator Lindsey Graham said on Monday."

What strikes me about it, is the lack of any sense by Graham that if his party were to improve its image, and develop policies that appeal to a wider set of voters, they would benefit from any kind of voting system, be it by mail or in person.

It seems to me these guys are stuck in a mindset that has so enveloped them they can't think outside it. Similarly, at this moment in time, because Trump did better than expected, indeed scored the second highest vote in history, they can't decide if they should dump him or stand by him, knowing that if they dump him they can reclaim their party and open up the leadership to a younger generation; but if they stick with him, the party of Lincoln is gone. The key question, will he still command so many votes in 2024 as he has done in 2020 is impossible to answer.

This all sounds academic, but I think the people around the President are determined to fight on in the slim hope that they can still retain the White House. Presumably they think they have won Alaska, can win Arizona and Georgia in a recount, Pennsylvania if they can force a recount there -can it be done if the/a court decrees mail in ballots fraudulent and inadmissable?

Can the Attorney General have key Democrat officials in Pennsylvania arrested for election fraud, not because they might be guilty, but just as a publicity stunt, one that will enrapture the 70% of Republicans who think the election was rigged?

The intriguiing thought for 2024 is that Donald Junior might compete with his Dad for the nominaton, that his Dad might break away from the GOP and form an independent party, particularly if he thinks he has been betrayed by the GOP, if they decide to dump him. For all his servile arse-licking, I undersand Mitch McConnell and Joe Biden have been friends for many years- could the Iceman Come through for Joe -especically if the GOP loses Senate seats in Georgia?

One final thought seeing the crane on the news, the one setting up the stage for the inauguration -would it not be better for Biden to have a simple swearing in ceremony in the White House, rather than a big public event? It would make sense in the context of Covid-19 and also avoid the embarrassment of not seeing one President hand over to another, given that the 45th will probably be sulking -in Florida?

[blackchubby38]

It seems to me these guys are stuck in a mindset that has so enveloped them they can't think outside it. Similarly, at this moment in time, because Trump did better than expected, indeed scored the second highest vote in history, they can't decide if they should dump him or stand by him, knowing that if they dump him they can reclaim their party and open up the leadership to a younger generation; but if they stick with him, the party of Lincoln is gone. The key question, will he still command so many votes in 2024 as he has done in 2020 is impossible to answer.



One final thought seeing the crane on the news, the one setting up the stage for the inauguration -would it not be better for Biden to have a simple swearing in ceremony in the White House, rather than a big public event? It would make sense in the context of Covid-19 and also avoid the embarrassment of not seeing one President hand over to another, given that the 45th will probably be sulking -in Florida?

I don't think its been the party of Lincoln for quite some time. Its more the party of Reagan and if the other Republicans stick with him, than that party is truly gone.

The main issue is that Trump and more importantly his supporters and/or the people who voted for him aren't going away anytime soon. If not ever. So the other Republicans have to find way to excise Trump from the party, but keep some of his supporters and the people who voted for him in the fold, while opening up the party to a younger generation.

As for your second question, it would be better if Biden had a simple swearing in ceremony than a big public event. But I get the sense (especially after the events of last Saturday) there are some who are going to push for the latter. Especially since you have the historical moment of the first woman to be sworn in as a the VP.

[Del06]

I must say it's refreshing to see this level of discussion on a porn site! My contribution: I've been afraid all along of a coup, and I think we may be moving towards one with Barr coming out swinging, and Trump putting his lackeys in charge at the Pentagon. I've thought that the main bulwark against a coup would have been the military. I'm thinking the military must be at least divided, both the top brass and the grunts. It looks like Trump is getting his top brass in line.